


Baby, You're a Haunted House

by imagineyou (jokerindisguise), jokerindisguise



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Billy Hargrove Being an Asshole, Billy Hargrove Redemption, Canon Divergence, F/M, It's Not Infedility, Jealousy, Possession, Reader Can Heal, Reader Has a Power, Reader-Insert, The Flayed, among other things, implied infedility, mind flayer - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-24
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2020-09-25 05:36:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 58,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20371555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jokerindisguise/pseuds/imagineyou, https://archiveofourown.org/users/jokerindisguise/pseuds/jokerindisguise
Summary: You grew up in the lab along with Kali and Jane. When Kali escapes the lab, you manage to escape with her. When Jane finds the two of you, you're not sure what to make of her. You think she's going to be like Kali, but Jane manages to surprise you. You decide to go back to Hawkins with her when she leaves to save her friends and manage to find your way to the kind of life you've wanted all along.





	1. Baby, You're a Haunted House

**Author's Note:**

> Season 3 of Stranger Things wrecked me. This is my attempt to fix things. 
> 
> Title and chapter titles are from 'Baby, You're a Haunted House,' by Gerard Way. I love that song. Listen to it. I don't think you'll regret it.
> 
> Going to alternate updates of this with my other two fics, so I'll come back to this soon, I promise. If you're reading my Walking Dead or Umbrella Academy fic, then I'm so sorry. Life has been unkind, but I'm finding my way back to writing. If you would like to follow me on Tumblr, I'm imagine-you-are. I used to be bucky4cap45. 
> 
> I really hope this is okay. It's my first time writing for the Stranger Things fandom, so I really hope this isn't terrible. Any love is greatly appreciated! ♥

You didn’t know what to think of Jane at first. You felt connected to her because of the lab, but that didn’t mean that you outright trusted her from the very beginning. Kali was the only other survivor of the lab that you knew and while you loved her, there was a darkness in her that you couldn’t connect with no matter how hard you tried. You were wary of the thought that Jane had that darkness as well. Being with Kali and her group had been good for you, but it didn’t mean that you wanted to stay with them. It didn’t mean that you assumed that it was all you had in the world. 

Kali had given you a place to stay. You had escaped from the lab that made you into super-powered children together. You remembered holding your breath while Kali forced the guards to see what she wanted them to see. You remembered holding onto her hand so tightly that you were sure she would tell you to let go. You remembered clinging to each other in the woods, both of you scared out of your minds at the thought that you would be discovered at any moment. 

You decided to go your separate ways after the lab, because both of you were worried that you would be discovered. You figured that if you weren’t together, then they couldn’t bring you both back to the lab if you were found. It was only for a few weeks, but you remembered feeling bereft without knowing anyone or having a way to take care of yourself. Kali had been the one to find a group, though. When you finally managed to find your back to her, you were surprised to see that she had already surrounded herself with others and found a way to support the group. 

As time passed, you knew that there was only so long that you could go on ignoring the obvious. You just weren’t fitting in with Kali and her group. They were hellbent on revenge and taking down anyone who got in their way. You understood. Of course you did. But you wanted something like a real family. Kali called you sister, but if you didn’t do what she asked, then she was more likely to send your mind back to the days in the lab. You loved her, but you hated the way she wielded her power against everyone. You didn’t want to use your power as a tool or weapon. If anything, you wanted to use it to save people. You had the power to heal people. What better way to use it than to save the injured, sick, or dying? You didn’t think you would ever be useful to Kali and her agenda, since it wasn’t like she allowed you to heal the people who ended up being victims because of her and the others. So while you would always consider Kali your sister, you knew that she wasn’t what you needed. 

You thought Jane or Eleven would be like Kali. You thought she would also get so wrapped up in revenge that she wouldn’t accept anything else. You were wrong. 

Hunkered down beside the others, you watched as Jane told Kali that she was leaving to go back to her loved ones. Her friends. Her family. Kali reached out a hand to Jane and tried to get her to stay. 

Jane gave Kali an apologetic look and then glanced at you. She seemed surprised by whatever expression you were wearing and then she reached out her hand to you. You placed your hand in hers and let her pull you away from Kali and the group. 

“Y/N,” Kali said, her voice breaking on your name. “What the hell are you doing?” 

“I’m sorry,” you said as you turned to look at her. “I love you, but this life isn’t for me.” 

Kali looked angry and hurt for a moment, before her expression smoothed out. She shook her head, ignoring the fact that all of you should have probably been running away at that point. She sighed, sharing one last look with you, before she turned away. 

Your hands started to shake as Jane led you away, both of you managing to escape the cops that had come after you and the others. 

It wasn’t until you were both on your way back to Hawkins that Jane spoke to you. “Why?” 

“I wanted to know what it’s like.” 

Jane tilted her head to the side, studying you for a moment. “What?” 

“To be needed,” you clarified, turning to stare out the window. You weren’t sure how to better explain what you were searching for by going with Jane. Kali had never really needed you. You knew that if you stayed with her and the group, then you would be left always wanting more. You wanted to be loved. You wanted to have a family. Jane had managed to find that. Maybe you wouldn’t fit in with hers, but if you could just see what it was like, then maybe you could successfully find your own. 

You followed Jane as she managed to track down her family. You watched her while she wrapped a piece of cloth over her eyes and went quiet, telling you that she needed to concentrate. You weren’t sure exactly how it worked, and you were more than half curious to find out if you could do that trick as well, before she pulled the makeshift blindfold off. She wiped away the blood that was beginning to fall from her nose and glanced up at you. You held your hand out for her and helped her up off the floor. 

She told you that they were all located in a home. You weren’t sure how she was able to pinpoint the location, but you figured you had come this far with Jane. You were sure it meant something that you were willing to follow her back to the place that had featured in your nightmares for years. You were going to trust her judgement on this, even if you did end up walking through the woods and right into a spiderweb at one point. 

Jane stopped further away from the house, frowning as she considered your surroundings. “Something’s wrong,” she said. She quickly moved forward and you soon realized what she was talking about. 

There were creatures surrounding the home. You had never seen anything like them. They didn’t look like dogs, but that was all you could think of as you watched Jane take care of them with her power. You stood back, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to do much against the creatures. If one of them happened to bite her, then you could heal the wound. Otherwise, her power was more suited for running off the monsters. You watched a few flee while she took the one closest to the home and killed it, its body flying through the front window of the home. 

There was silence as Jane turned to locate any more threats. Once she was sure that the creatures were gone, she turned back towards the house. She concentrated on the door for a few moments before it swung open. She walked through the doorway and you followed behind her, opting to stay there while she ran to embrace a boy who seemed to be about her age. 

You watched as she reunited with her group. She seemed to forget you were even there for a moment before a boy with curly hair turned towards you. 

“Hey. Who’s that?” He turned to ask Jane. 

Jane turned and offered you a smile. She held out a hand and beckoned you closer. Once you were close enough to take her hand, she pulled until you were standing at her side. “Sister,” she offered, as if that was all of the explanation needed. You weren’t ready for when she reached out and tugged up the sleeve of your jacket, exposing the ‘009’ inked into the skin of your left wrist. 

The boy she had embraced before looked at Jane with wide eyes. “There are more of you.” 

“Different,” Jane said with a shrug of her shoulders. “But we’re the same.” 

A man, the second person Jane had hugged, considered you. “So can you do what she does?” He asked, gesturing at his head, as if that was sufficient to fully describe Jane’s powers. 

“No,” you answered, shaking your head. 

“Well then what do you do?” 

“Hop,” Jane said, reaching out to touch a cut on the man’s forearm. “Let her show you.” 

The man, Hop, turned to look at you. You reached out for his arm, pausing for a moment and looking up at him, silently asking for permission. 

Hop nodded his head and you closed your hand over the wound, focusing on it for a few seconds before you felt it begin to close. Hop grunted and jerked his arm away, looking down at where the cut had previously been. 

“I can heal,” you offered, as if it wasn’t obvious enough. “And sometimes put people to sleep,” you added, noticing that everyone except for Jane were staring at you with various expressions of either shock, awe, or curiosity. 

“That’s amazing,” said a guy who looked to be about your age. He pushed his hair back with his left hand, his right holding onto a bat with nails driven into the wood. “You can heal anything?” 

You shrugged your shoulders. “Most things. Haven’t raised the dead,” you trailed off before adding, “yet.” 

The guy’s eyes went wide at that and you thought he was going to say something else, but then it seemed that everyone started making plans to save a boy and kill a monster. 

The boy was named Will. A woman named Joyce told you that he was her son. “He’s sick. There’s something dark inside of him and we have to get it out,” she tried to explain to you. “Is there anything you can do for him?” 

You bit your lip as you stepped forward, watching the uneasy expression on Will’s face as he tossed and turned, as if fighting demons even while he was asleep. You looked back to Joyce, seeing the concern and fear in her expression. You wanted someone to care about you like that. You knew that Kali cared in her own way, but she was so consumed with revenge that she could rarely see anything else. You wanted to help this woman. You wanted to help this boy that you didn’t even know. If he had a room full of people looking to save him, then he must be someone worth trying for, you couldn’t help but think. 

“I don’t know,” you answered as you reached out a hand and put it on Will’s forehead. Usually, you could focus on an injury until it simply healed itself. You had it explained to you that you accelerated the body’s healing process. You could even heal yourself. You remembered being in the lab and exhausting yourself healing person after person. You weren’t sure if Papa, or Brenner as you thought of him now, had been hurting people for the sole purpose of training or testing your power, but he always found a way to get you to demonstrate your power to him. 

The second your hand touched Will’s forehead, you felt yourself sway. It wasn’t like anything you had encountered before. You could heal the sick at times, but this went beyond a mere cold. This was bigger and darker than anything you had ever encountered. You didn’t even realize that your eyes were closed and you were shaking until you felt someone grab your hand to sever your connection to Will. 

You opened your eyes to see Joyce staring at you with wide eyes and Jane’s fingers wrapped around your wrist. 

“What happened?” 

“You started shaking,” Joyce offered. “You looked like you were about to be sick.” 

You glanced down at Will, an unfamiliar feeling rising within you. “I can’t help him,” you said with a shake of your head. You looked down to your hand. It felt hot. Burning. Like you had held it over a fire and not a boy fighting some terrible monster. Had your power attempted to burn the influence of the monster out of him? You weren’t sure, but your hand still burned a bit as you shook it, attempting to make it feel better. 

“We’re leaving,” Jane told you. 

“Where?” You asked, looking at where she was staring at Hop. “With Hop?” 

“Hopper,” the man corrected you. “We’re going to close the gate.” He glanced at Jane. “Are you sure she should go?” 

Jane nodded her head. “She could help you.” 

You were sure that Jane only wanted you along in the event that Hopper got hurt. You weren’t sure, but you felt like he must have been awfully important to her. 

“I’ll be there to protect you, kid,” Hopper told Jane. “It might not be the best idea to bring along anyone else to the lab.” 

“The lab?” You asked, turning to look at Jane. “You didn’t mention that.” 

“It’s where the gate is,” she told you, turning back to Hopper. ”She could help.” 

“What is she going to do?” Hopper asked, gesturing towards you. “Is she going to heal the gate?” 

“I could try,” you said with a shrug of your shoulders. “Or if there’s more of those creatures, I could help shoot them.” 

Hopper looked shocked. “You know how to use one of these?” He asked as he gestured towards the firearm lying on the table beside him. 

You nodded your head, figuring it wasn’t best to dive into the story of when Kali had made you learn how to shoot in order to protect yourself and the others. You didn’t like guns. You didn’t want to use them. But you didn’t really want Jane or Hopper to go into a situation without any backup. If Hopper did get hurt, then you could heal him. If Jane got hurt, then you could heal her. Either way, you could help them. “You need me,” you simply offered, hoping it was enough to convince Hopper. 

Hopper considered you for a few seconds before he sighed. “Fine. Let’s go.” 

You stayed silent on the way to the lab. You weren’t sure if anything you had to say would be welcomed and you had a feeling that Hopper and Jane needed to have a talk. You stared out the window and wondered if you could live here. You didn’t know where you would stay, but it had to be better than an empty warehouse. It had to be better than a group of revenge-seeking teenagers hoping to change something with violence and hate. You didn’t have it in you to hate Brenner or the lab like Kali or Jane. You feared them, but you didn’t necessarily feel the need to take out all of your feelings on them. You had thought when you escaped that you would never have to see the lab again, but now, voluntarily walking into the labyrinth of hallways and rooms that had seen you tested over and over to your breaking point was enough to make your hands shake. You put them into the front pockets of your jeans, striding in after Hopper and Jane. 

Hopper led the way and while you felt like you should look around, you were surprised by the sick feeling in your stomach. You thought you had resolved some of these feelings about the lab after you escaped, but it still instilled enough fear in you to make you feel like you were going to throw up at any moment. 

Hopper led the both of you into a stairwell. You heard him curse after a few seconds and when you looked around him, you saw a man in a lab coat slumped against the wall. His leg was bleeding and his face was pale, likely from blood loss. 

Hopper moved towards the man. “Doctor Owens,” he said and then crouched beside him. You weren’t sure what he said after that, but he took a few moments to talk to the doctor. He gestured towards Jane and then you before he turned back to the doctor. You had a brief moment to worry that Hopper was somehow selling you out, but you didn’t think he would. His love for Jane seemed to be genuine. If anything, he wasn’t likely to allow the lab to get their hooks back into either one of you. 

“Y/N,” Hopper called, breaking you out of your thoughts. “Do you think you could...?” He trailed off, looking back at you from where he was crouched down beside Owens. 

You had never been great at letting people suffer, and while you were wary of anyone found in the lab, you instinctively trusted Hopper. 

You let your hand rest against Doctor Owens’ leg and used your power. It always helped you if you imagined the wound simply closing up like pulling up a tab on a zipper. It was bringing it all together so that it could mend. When you opened your eyes, Owens was staring at you in awe. “I didn’t know we had that.” 

“You don’t,” you answered before you brushed your fingers against Owens’ temple. He slumped back against the wall, his eyes closed. 

“You didn’t kill him, did you? He owes me a favor or two,” Hopper said, bringing your attention back to him. 

You shook your head. ”Just put him to sleep.” You stood and turned to face Hopper and Jane. “He should wake up in a few hours.” 

Hopper nodded his head and then brushed past you, leading the way again. You caught Jane’s smile as she passed you and you nodded in return, glancing down at Owens once more before you followed. 

The closer you got to the gate, the worse you felt. There was a sinking feeling in your gut that urged you to turn around and run. You wanted to. You were terrified and you didn’t even know why. There was something just up ahead and it felt like it would swallow you whole if given the chance. 

You didn’t run, though. You followed Hopper and Jane into the lower levels of the lab and into the basket that would take all three of you down to face the gate. 

Hopper handed you a gun, studying you for a moment. “You sure you can use that?” 

You nodded your head and took the weapon, trying not to show how uncomfortable you were with it in your hand. Hopper must have believed you, because he finally pressed the button that would lower the three of you down so that Jane could confront the monster that was just beyond the gate. 

You watched as Jane focused on closing the gate, knowing that it must have been taking a toll on her. You knew she would be exhausted before she was even finished. You wanted to watch her progress, but you could hear noises echoing around you, distracting you from Jane. You turned just as one of the creatures tried to jump at you. You brought the gun in your hand up just in time to send it tumbling off the edge of the railing. You saw Hopper bring up his own weapon out of the corner of your eye and put your back to Jane, knowing that you needed to protect her. 

You took out more of the creatures, sparing glances over your shoulder at Jane when you felt like you could risk it. You knew she was struggling, but the gate seemed to be closing. When you got a better look at her face, you could see blood dripping down her face from her nose. Her eyes were fever bright and determined, her arms outstretched as she used her power to block the monster you could see on the other side of the gate. 

You shivered at the thought of _that_ getting through into your world and placed a hand on Jane’s shoulder, wanting to lend her comfort and strength. You heard her gasp and you felt something rush through you. You swayed, not sure what was going on, but you felt like you were being drained for a moment. Jane seemed to stand straighter, her shoulders rolling back as she took a deep breath. It seemed like she gained confidence from your support, but you weren’t sure if that was quite what was happening at the moment. 

You were distracted by one of the creatures dropping down right in front of you and you pulled away to take care of it. 

You focused on taking care of the monsters that came after you and the other two until they all dropped, as if the creature behind the gate had been puppeteering them and their strings had been cut. You watched the last of the creatures drop out of sight before you turned to look at Jane and Hopper. 

Jane had tears in her eyes as she hugged Hopper and when she caught you looking, she pulled you into the hug as well. 

“What was that?” She asked you. 

You shook your head, not sure how to answer. You had never experienced anything like that with Kali, but you had never been close enough to her when she used her power to touch her. You weren’t sure what it meant, but you knew that it was something worth exploring. Now was not the time, however. Jane was likely exhausted and you wanted to get away from the lab and the gate. “Can we get out of here?” 

“Yeah,” Hopper agreed. “Let’s go back to the Byers’ house. I’ll radio for an ambulance for Owens once we’re out of here.” 

You followed Jane and Hopper back to the entrance of the lab. You turned to look back up at the building as you walked out, feeling glad that you survived yet another encounter there. You hoped you would never have to return, though. 

Hopper drove the three of you back to the Byers house. Jane rushed to reunite with her group of friends and you noticed the guy leaning up against the side of the house. It was the guy that had the baseball bat earlier. He looked like he had been in a fight since the last time you saw him. 

“Harrington,” Hopper called. “You okay?” 

“Yeah,” called Harrington. “Just ran into some trouble with Hargrove.” 

Hopper muttered something under his breath and walked into the house. You approached the guy, Harrington, and gestured at the cuts and bruises on his face. “Can I?” 

“What?” He squinted at you. “Oh, yeah.” He waved at his face. “Go for it.” 

You offered him a reassuring smile and reached out to brush your fingers over his forehead. You closed your eyes, the injuries seeming to light up in your mind, and concentrated on them. It didn’t take longer than a few moments before you heard him gasp. 

“That’s so weird,” he muttered. “Thanks,” he said as you opened your eyes to see that only dried blood and band aids were left behind. “I’m Steve,” he offered with a wave. 

“Y/N,” you said, smiling at Steve. You brushed past him and into the living room of the Byers home. 

There was a guy passed out on the floor. He had cuts and bruises on his face as well. You knelt down next to him and frowned at him. You glanced up at the guy you had just healed. “You two get into a fight?” 

Steve snorted. “You could say that.” 

You shrugged your shoulders. “I thought I just did.” 

Steve shook his head. “No, it’s-,” he cut himself off. “You know what? Never mind. You probably don’t need to heal that douchebag, though. It’ll be a nice lesson for him.” 

“I’m sure Mrs. Byers would like him out of her home and I don’t think he’s going to wake up any time soon unless I do something,” you explained as you reached out a hand and brushed your fingers over the other guy’s forehead. You hissed at the feeling it produced and swayed, shooting out a hand to keep yourself from falling to the ground. There were still drugs in his system, but you were sure they were out now thanks to your power. You watched as his face healed and his eyes fluttered open. 

He regarded you with his eyes barely open. “Are you an angel?” He whispered, squinting up at you. 

You grinned and shook your head. “I don’t think so,” you answered. 

The guy frowned up at you before he closed his eyes. You wondered for a moment if he was asleep, but then he groaned. “Harrington,” he called. 

Steve was leaning against the door frame to the living room. “What, Hargrove?” 

“What the hell is going on?” 

Steve rolled his eyes. “You know what? I’m not going to answer that.” He reached into his jeans and pulled out a set of car keys before throwing them at the guy. They landed on his stomach and the guy groaned again. “Do us all a favor and leave.” 

Hargrove brought a hand up and flipped off Steve. 

You looked back to see Steve rolling his eyes. “You should get the hell out of here before Hopper decides to arrest you, Hargrove. Although, you know what? Maybe you should stay. I’m sure seeing Hopper take you down to the station would make my night.” 

Hargrove sighed before he opened his eyes. He reached up to brush his fingers against his cheek. “What the hell?” He moaned before he sat up. He turned to look at you, considering you for a few moments. “Who are you?” 

You weren’t sure how to answer that, since you were sure you weren‘t supposed to mention anything about your power or why you were really here. “I’m Y/N,” you simply offered, since that was all you could give in the moment. 

“I’m Billy,” the guy said, offering you a smirk as he pushed himself up to stand. He reached out his hand, pulling you to stand as well. There was something dangerous about him, you couldn’t help but think. You stood there watching him for a few moments, trying to figure out why he was watching you so closely before you were interrupted. 

“Hargrove!” Hopper yelled. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

“Shit,” Billy hissed before he turned to offer Hopper a grin. “Just here to pick up my sister.” 

Hopper turned to look at you before he gestured at Billy. “He didn’t look like that a few minutes ago. That your work?” 

You shrugged your shoulders. Hopper sighed and turned to look at Billy again. “I’ll give your sister a ride home. Why don’t you get out of here?” 

Billy looked like he wanted to protest, but he frowned and then shook his head. “Great,” he muttered under his breath. “Thanks, Chief.” 

You watched as he turned and left, bumping his shoulder against Steve’s on his way out of the house. 

“Oh no,” Hopper groaned. 

“What?” You noticed he was looking at you again. 

“I recognize that look, kid. Don’t even go there,” Hopper said before he turned and went back into the kitchen. 

“What?” You asked again helplessly, even though you knew Hopper wouldn’t hear you. 

“Hargrove is trouble,” Steve piped up from the doorway. “You’re better off not thinking of him again.” 

“I doubt I’ll see him again.” 

Steve shook his head. “Hawkins isn’t that big,” he replied. “If you’re sticking around, then you’ll see him sooner or later.” 

You weren’t sure what to think about that, but you felt a little thrill at the thought of seeing Billy again. 

Even though you weren’t exactly looking to run into Billy Hargrove again, it still happened when you least expected it. 

Your life took on a whole new direction after Jane closed the gate. Within a few months, Hopper had made good on his deal with Owens. Jane became Jane Hopper, even though she starting going by ‘El’ again and was allowed to stay with Hopper without fear of the lab coming back to collect her. Hopper had managed to spin a tale to protect you as well. He claimed you were his niece who came to stay with her favorite uncle for the foreseeable future. You had a fake birth certificate, social security card, high school diploma, and records that were more than enough to fool anyone into thinking you were normal. 

Hopper had started to let Jane out every so often. He was still terrified that someone would ask too many questions and that she would be taken away from him. While you were given more freedom, since you were legally an adult, you couldn’t help but shut yourself away as well. 

For the first couple of months, you stayed in the cabin with Hopper and Jane. You usually slept on the couch and helped out with projects to improve the cabin. You helped Jane with her lessons when you could and even took to going to the library whenever Hopper was able to take you, checking out books to take back to the cabin and read in an effort to educate yourself. 

One night, Hopper had decided to risk taking you and Jane out to dinner a few towns over. Jane was going more than a bit stir crazy not being able to hang out with her friends and you knew that getting out of the house for a while would probably do her some good. You promised Hopper that you would watch out for her as well and he seemed to ease the more distance you put between yourselves and Hawkins. 

It wasn’t until you were leaving the restaurant that you ran into anyone who recognized you. 

“Hopper!” 

You, Jane, and Jim turned to see Billy leaning up against the wall of the restaurant. 

Jim narrowed his eyes at Billy. “Yeah?” 

“Not you, Chief. I meant Y/N.” 

You turned to look at Jim, but he was still glaring at Billy. Jane was staring at Billy, as if she was trying to figure out if he was going to be a threat. You sighed and turned to look at Billy. “What?” 

He crooked his finger, smirking at you. “I just wanted to chat.” 

Jim groaned and shook his head. “We’ll be in the car.” He turned and herded Jane towards the cruiser. “I’ve got my eye on you, Hargrove.” 

Billy flashed Hopper a grin and watched you as you got closer to him. “I’ve been looking for you,” Billy told you once you were standing beside him. “Thought you left town and went home.” 

“Hawkins is my home,” you responded, because it was true. You really didn’t have anywhere else to go unless you wanted to join Kali again. “What did you want?” 

“I love a girl who gets right to the point,” Billy said, his fingers digging into the front pocket of his jeans. He pulled a cigarette down from where he had it perched behind his ear as he produced a lighter from his pocket. He lit the cigarette, not saying anything until he took the first drag. “I was thinking we could get out of here,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about you for a while and there’s a Motel 6 just right down the road. We could go have some fun.” 

You watched him for a few moments, knowing what he was asking you for. You weren’t as naïve as everyone thought you were. You had been with Kali and her group for a while. You heard more than enough being with that group to understand exactly what Billy was referring to. Besides, Hopper had tried to give you an awkward version of ‘the talk,’ as Steve called it and while you assured him you knew more than enough to be okay, Hopper had still insisted on making sure you weren’t going to be put into a situation you weren’t ready for. 

“You know,” you said as you turned to look at the cruiser where Hopper was leaning against the driver’s side door, “I think I’ll pass.” 

“You sure about that, angel? It’d be the best night of your life.” 

You turned to grin at Billy. “Maybe I’ll see you around sometime,” you told him as you started walking over towards the cruiser. 

“Count on it!” Billy called after you. 

You got into the front passenger seat, watching as Billy finished his cigarette, his eyes never leaving you. You offered him a wave as the cruiser pulled away, noting the surprised look on his face, before you grinned to yourself. 

“What was that about?” Jane asked you. 

“You see, when a boy likes a girl very, very much,” you started, getting cut off by Hopper’s scandalized expression. You couldn’t help but laugh, turning to look at Jane in the backseat. “He just wanted to talk.” 

Jane seemed to think over that for a few moments before she spoke again. “Are you going to go out with him?” 

Hopper raised an eyebrow at that. “Yeah, Y/N. Are you?” You could tell he wasn’t thrilled by the idea. 

“I don’t know,” you answered, as you turned to look out the passenger side window. “I guess we’ll find out.”


	2. In the Dark We Laugh Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of child abuse in this chapter. Please don't read this if what Billy went through on the show is something that will hurt you to read about in this chapter. I don't go into detail, but I'd rather be safe than sorry on this subject.
> 
> This chapter mainly covers the start of the reader's relationship with Billy and leads up to where season three starts. We're finally going to get into the season three events next chapter, so be prepared for some angst and excitement.

After seeing Billy outside of the restaurant when you were with Hopper and El, you noticed him around town more often. He was dropping off Max when you were with Hopper dropping off El at the Wheeler’s house. He was there at Melvald's when you were visiting Joyce or there to pick up a few things for Hopper. He was outside the library when you went for your weekly trip, smirking at you from where he was leaning against his blue Camaro. He was there at Benny's when you went for milkshakes with Steve or whenever Steve was trying to teach you how to drive so you could get your license. He seemed to be everywhere. 

You and Steve had made it a habit to go get milkshakes at Benny's on Saturday nights. Steve said it made him feel less pathetic about not having much of a social life anymore outside of you and the party and you were just glad that you seemed to have a friend.

It was on one of those Saturday nights at Benny's when Billy finally approached you again. 

"Do you know what you want to do when you graduate?" You asked Steve, knowing that the decision had been weighing heavily on him for months. 

He sighed and shook his head. "Not yet. College, maybe. But I don't know." He pushed his fingers through his hair, shaking it out, before he pushed himself out of the booth. "I'll be right back."

Steve headed in the direction of the bathrooms, leaving you alone in the booth you had both picked out. 

"So, what are you doing here with Harrington?"

You glanced up to see that Billy had slid into the booth across from you, sitting in Steve's former spot.

"Why is that any of your business?" You smirked at him and leaned forward to take a sip of your milkshake. You noticed he was staring at your lips and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. 

"It's my business, because if I ask you out and you're Harrington's girl, then it's going to get pretty awkward."

"I'm pretty sure it's already awkward," you said, glancing over at where Steve was emerging from the men’s bathroom. "And we're not dating."

Billy looked like he wanted to say something, but Steve had reached the table. 

"Beat it, Hargrove. She's not interested."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Harrington." He reached forward and snagged a few of the fries from the plate in the middle of the table. "See you, Y/N," he said before he pushed himself out of the booth.

Steve rolled his eyes and sat back down. "What a dick. He didn't spit in my shake or anything, did he?"

"I kept it safe for you," you promised Steve, offering him a grin. 

"Good." He took a drink of his shake before he glanced at you. "You're not interested in him, right?"

"Oh, I don't know about that, Harrington," you echoed Billy's words, watching the horrified expression on Steve's face form. You couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to snag a fry and dip it into your shake.

"That's disgusting," Steve said, scrunching his face up in distaste.

You weren't sure if he was talking about your interest in Billy Hargrove or for what you were doing to your fries. Either way, you were sure Steve would get over it. 

Even though you hated to admit it, it seemed as if Billy had gotten into your head. After crashing your usual Saturday night meeting with Steve, you couldn't stop thinking about him. He still seemed to show up at all of your usual spots throughout the week, but you couldn’t help but hope that he talked to you again. You decided that you might as well do something about it. 

The next time you talked to Billy Hargrove, it was because you sought him out.

"Well, well," he said, grinning at you. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," you admitted.

"Obviously," he said looking up at his house. "How did you know where I live?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "My cousin," you answered. You knew he would assume El found out from Max. What really happened was that you asked El to use her power to see where Billy was at the moment.

He closed the hood to his car and wiped his hands on a rag. "You want to come in? Everyone else is out for the afternoon."

"Sure," you agreed. You let him lead you into his house. He pointed out a few rooms, but you knew he was leading you towards his bedroom.

"Once I graduate from school, I'm getting my own place," he said. "I have a job lined up to lifeguard. I'm also thinking about looking for work as a mechanic if that’s not enough to cover rent."

“Why are you so eager to leave?” You couldn’t help but wonder.

Billy shrugged his shoulders. “Most kids leave once they graduate,” he offered nonchalantly, but you had a feeling that there was more to his answer. He pushed open the door to his room and ushered you past him with a hand on the small of your back. 

He brushed past you to sit down on the end of his bed and patted the spot next to him. You raised your eyebrow, trying to convey that you weren't about to fall for his act. 

"Did you think I came all this way for _that_?"

He smirked at you and shrugged his shoulders. "It was worth a try." He settled back on his bed, staring up at you. "So, if you didn't come here because you're caving to my obvious charm, then why are you here?"

You sighed and moved to study his room. It wasn’t really as messy as you would have assumed. There were hand weights propped up against one wall and a couple of books stacked on his nightstand. You laughed at the posters of women on the walls and raised your eyebrow again at the magazines you found stacked in a drawer. "Maybe I just wanted to get to know the guy who keeps showing up in my life. You seem to have such an interest in me."

Billy was silent for a few moments and you had to turn to make sure he was still paying attention to you. 

"I do," he admitted. "What are you going to do about it?" He challenged, tipping his head to the side as he considered you.

"I just told you," you answered, trying to appear unruffled by his gaze on you. "I'm going to get to know you."

Billy smirked at you before he nodded his head. "I think I can live with that." 

After that, you made it a habit to visit Billy at his house whenever El told you no one else was there. You figured it would be easier and less awkward to hang out with him if no one else was around. 

Of course, it wasn't always a perfect plan. Sometimes, Max would need for Billy to give her a ride to the Wheeler’s or the arcade. Other times, Billy's father would come home early from work and cut short your visit with Billy. Whenever it was his father or his step-mother, Susan, he would usher you out the window of his bedroom, following behind you and promising to drive you home. Sometimes, you even cherished those drives, because Billy would take the long route every time. You loved the fact that he genuinely wanted to hang out with you and while Steve and Hopper made sure that you knew all about Billy's reputation, you didn't let that discourage you from really getting to know him. 

It was during one of your visits to see Billy that you officially met Max. You had always assumed you would get to know her through El, since the two were becoming closer with every meeting of the party. 

Billy wasn't with you because he had been tasked by his father to run an errand. Billy had deemed it safe to leave you there in his room, since his father wasn't supposed to be home for hours, so you were waiting on his bed and flipping through a magazine until he was finished. But as you saw a girl with red hair poke her head around the door of Billy's bedroom, you realized that you probably were expected to shut the door. 

"Oh," she breathed when she found you waiting on Billy's bed. 

"Hi," you said, sitting forward on the bed. You set the magazine aside and turned your full attention on Max. Eleven had mentioned Max a few times, and while Billy had talked about his stepsister, you really didn't know all that much about her. 

"You're Eleven's sister, right? Y/N?" Max asked as she pushed the door open further. 

"That's me," you said, offering her a smile. "Did you want to come in?"

"Oh, Billy doesn't let me go in his room." She glanced down at where the tips of her shoes were just brushing against the boundary between Billy’s room and the hallway. 

You raised an eyebrow at that but decided there was an easy fix to the problem. "We could hang out in your room?"

Max's eyes went wide for a moment. "You want to hang out with me?"

You shrugged your shoulders. "Why not? Billy will be a while. Unless you have something else to do?"

"Sure," Max agreed, beckoning for you to follow her. She looked like she still didn't quite believe that you wanted to hang out with her.

You let Max lead you to her room. Once inside, you glanced around her room, noting the differences between her room and Billy’s, while Max sat down on the edge of her bed. "So, does he know about what you can do? What Eleven can do?"

You shook your head. "We haven't had that conversation yet."

"Look, maybe you shouldn't tell him." 

You turned to see Max biting her lip, looking as if she wasn't sure how you would take what she just said. 

"Why not?"

"Because..." she trailed off. "It's Billy," she offered with a shrug of his shoulders. She sighed and sat forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "I think you're a good person and not like the girls he usually goes after, so I'm going to try to help you out. Billy is the type of guy to have a new girl every week. I don't want you to get hurt because he can't keep it in his pants for long enough to commit to someone."

You were silent for long enough that Max started to look nervous. You sighed and moved to sit down beside her on her bed. "I know," you finally responded. "But for now, we're just friends. You don't have to worry about that." Besides, it wasn't exactly new information. Steve and Hopper had basically told you the same thing. 

Max looked relieved for a moment before she nodded her head. "Well, good," she said before she flashed you a smile. "So, what's it like having a superpower?"

Billy found the two of you half an hour later, flipping through magazines and laughing over the stories that passed as newsworthy.

"After fighting a bunch of demo--" Max cut herself off once she noticed Billy standing in the doorway.

"She bothering you?" He asked you, glaring at Max.

You shook your head, putting the magazine down on the bed. "I asked to hang out with her," you told him before you turned to look at Max. "Let's do this again sometime."

Max looked surprised at the thought that you would willingly hang out with her again, but she was quick to nod her head. "Sure."

You smiled at her before you followed Billy out of the room.

"You know you don't have to hang out with her," Billy told you as he led you back into his room. "We're not that close," he added.

You shrugged your shoulders. "I think she's pretty cool," you said as you sat back down on his bed.

Billy looked like he didn't believe you, but he didn't seem like he wanted to pursue the subject. "Whatever," he said as he moved over towards his mirror. "So, what do you want to do tonight?" 

Once you had the seal of approval from not only Steve and Eleven, but Max as well, it seemed like the rest of the party were eager to get to know you. 

At first, you would simply be there whenever Steve and Dustin were hanging out. Steve would bring Dustin sometimes when you were going out for milkshakes or Dustin would barge into Steve's room whenever you were listening to music together. He was fascinated by you. He wanted to know all about your power and your stay with Kali and the others. 

After you got to know Dustin a bit more, he started insisting that you hang out with the party. Steve told you that you didn't have to, but you figured that it couldn't hurt to get to know El's friends more. 

So, the next time Hopper said he was going to drop El off at the Wheeler's home, you opted to go with her. 

You already felt like you knew everything about Mike through El. Even though she had the tendency to not say all that much, it seemed like most of what she talked about had something to do with Mike Wheeler. You knew that Mike was the one to tether her when she felt like losing hope. He called her every day for about a year in the hopes that she would talk to him again. You loved the kid already, because you knew that El loved him. 

Will was the quiet one in the group. You could tell that he was always eager to hang out with his friends, but you knew that he had gone through a lot in the past year. Between being possessed and being stuck in the 'Upside Down,' as the party called it, you knew Will would probably never be the same again. You noticed that it didn't mean that he stopped trying to go back to his roots of D&D and hanging out in the Wheeler's basement with his friends. 

Lucas, as far as you could tell, was Max's boyfriend. He wasn't afraid to express his opinion and while he sometimes butted heads with the others in the group, he seemed to genuinely care for his friends. He was protective of them and while you worried that he wouldn't be so accepting of El since she was different, you could tell after hanging around the full group that Lucas cared about everyone in the party. 

As a group, it was hard to keep up with them. They were always talking about something and eager to share information with you. They also weren’t all that shy about asking you any and every question they could come up with to ask you. They wanted to know what it was like to be on the run from the law. They were curious about the most gruesome injuries you had ever healed. They wondered if you missed Kali and had any plans to go back. It seemed like they were endlessly fascinated by you and while you weren’t quite sure why, you couldn’t help but feel like they were secretly testing you to see if you were allowed to be anywhere near El and the group. Despite the general chaos that came with being around the party, you couldn’t help but like them, and you could see why El was always so desperate to hang out with them. 

You felt better about El hanging out with the others once you met them. You were sure that they would be good for her and she seemed so happy. There were times when Hopper wanted to keep her at the cabin, but he relented once you promised to go with El to hang out with the party. He seemed to feel better knowing that if he couldn't watch out for her, then you would be there to have her back. You couldn't help but wonder sometimes if he forgot that El was completely capable of taking care of herself, but you figured as long as both of them were happy, then you could be too. 

With the party and your friendship with Steve came getting to know Jonathan and Nancy. They were always polite and engaging with you, and while it was nice getting to know people in your own age group, you didn't really feel yourself click with them like you did with Steve. You knew that there was something going on between Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy, but you weren't quite sure what was going on. It wasn't until you asked Dustin, since he seemed like he would be the most forthcoming with information, that you finally learned the truth.

"Oh, you see, Steve used to date Nancy. But then she broke his heart and then she started dating Jonathan. But Steve still has feelings for Nancy, but Nancy has feelings for Jonathan. It's a whole love triangle thing. You know what that is, right?"

"I think I've got it," you reassured him with a pat to his shoulder.

"So, hey," he started, turning until he was looking at you. "Are you really dating that douchebag, Billy Hargrove? Because I think you can do better than him. Like, maybe you could date Steve." His eyes lit up at the idea and you couldn't help but grin at him.

"I'm not dating Billy and I can't date Steve," you told him.

Dustin frowned. "Why can't you date Steve? And why are you hanging around Billy if you aren't dating him?"

"I'm not dating Billy, because we're just friends." _For now_, you couldn't help but think. "And you answered the Steve question yourself. He's not over Nancy."

Dustin frowned at you, and then shook his head. "Teenagers," he scoffed, before he launched into a story about a D&D campaign that Mike had started the week before. 

As more time passed in Hawkins, you started to feel content. You had Hopper and El, who were the closest thing to a family you could have ever dreamed of and you had friends. You had a home and people who seemed to honestly care about you.

The only thing that really confused you was your relationship with Billy. You weren't really sure what you two were waiting for. Maybe it was because you knew he was still chasing any girl that moved. Maybe it was because you still weren't all that sure you could handle any kind of romantic relationship. Still, it felt like you and Billy were headed towards the inevitable relationship that everyone assumed you already had. The problem was that you weren't sure when it would actually happen. 

After so many days and nights of hanging out with Billy, you started to learn the truth about his relationship with his father. There were too many unexplained bruises and you itched to heal every one of them, but you knew that Hopper would freak out if he realized that you were using your power on someone who wasn't supposed to know the truth about you or El. 

Still, you couldn't help putting your hand on Billy's arm from time to time, using your power to quickly seek out his injuries. It was usually such a brief touch that you could only really speed up his healing rather than completely take care of his injuries, but you still tried your best. You knew that after you had completely healed his injuries following his fight with Steve that he was probably suspicious, but he never brought it up. You knew he must have been curious, though.

When you couldn't hang out during the day, you took to sneaking into Billy's room at night. Billy would leave the window open for you for you to crawl through. He was always quick to help you, his hands around your waist as he waited for you to steady yourself once your feet hit the floor. 

Sometimes, Steve would drop you off, rolling his eyes and trying to convince you to stop hanging out with Billy. Other times, you walked, since you didn’t have your license yet and you didn’t have a car. You knew that either way, Billy would be the one to drop you off at home, and you always looked forward to those long, late night drives. 

You spent many nights talking to Billy about anything and everything. You started feeling as if you were spending more time with him and thinking about him more than anyone else in your life. You couldn't help it, though. There was just something about him that drew you in every time. You felt like you could know him, speak to him every day for the rest of your lives, and still feel like there was more to uncover about him. The idea excited you like nothing had in a long time. 

When you couldn't ignore his bruises anymore, you decided to try to broach the subject of his father again. You had known him for months and he was on the verge of graduating from high school. There was a part of you that was worried that he would get up and leave Hawkins. You didn't want to lose him, but you wouldn't leave Hopper or El. If it came down to it, then you knew the choice you would have to make. It didn't mean that you wouldn't do everything you were able to in order to avoid having to make it. 

You had heard Neil Hargrove yelling at Billy from time to time and while you were sure Billy picked up a few bruises during school while he was playing basketball, you knew that the sport wasn't to blame for most of the pain that he experienced. The nights he sported fresh bruises or he moved with hesitation, obviously injured, were the nights when he was quiet. He would let you talk to fill the silence or he would play music, but it was hard to get him to talk to you until he was out of the house, driving you back in the direction of the Hopper’s cabin. It was like he couldn’t relax until he was away from his house and you knew that you had to say something, because not knowing for sure what was going on with him was starting to get to you. 

You were sitting on Billy's bed, watching him pace around his room, but not daring to settle down on the bed beside you. It was nearing two in the morning and you knew that you would have to go soon. Hopper either didn't notice or didn't care that you were out most nights, but you made a habit of being there in the morning to eat breakfast with him and El. You knew that if you weren’t at the kitchen table by the time they both sat down for breakfast, then Hopper would likely freak out. You didn’t want to make him worry about you after everything he had done for you. Still, you didn’t feel like you could interrupt Billy to point out the time just yet. Something had clearly happened to upset him and he seemed restless. 

Billy was muttering to himself as he paced. You could only catch snatches of what he was saying. You got the gist, though. He couldn't wait to leave. He couldn't wait to get out of the house. He couldn't wait to graduate. 

"Is it your father?" You finally broke your silence, surprised with yourself that you were finally bringing up the subject of Neil Hargrove again.

Billy turned to look at you, something wild in his eyes, before he turned away. 

"Billy," you started, before trailing off, not sure what you could say until he answered you.

"It's none of your business," he finally got out between gritted teeth.

You knew he was about to push you away. His shoulders were tense and he kept clenching his fists. You knew at this point, he was probably itching for a fight. You didn't want to give it to him.

"It's not," you agreed. 

He glanced at you over his shoulder, looking stunned that you hadn't tried to argue. "Then why did you ask?"

You shrugged your shoulders, hoping you weren't pushing the subject too far. "Because I care about you."

Billy stared at you for a few moments before he moved until he was crouching down in front of you. He reached out to grab your hands, holding them tight as he met your eyes. "You really mean that?"

You nodded and offered him a small smile. "Of course," you said as you squeezed his hands.

Billy bit his lip before he surged forward, pressing his mouth to yours. He backed off after a few seconds. "Sorry," he whispered. "Probably wasn't the right time."

“Probably not,” you agreed, before you reeled him back in.

You didn't approach the subject of Billy's relationship with his dad again that night. Or the next. Or even the one after that. You felt like whatever was between you had finally evolved, but it was fragile for the time being. You were learning new ground together and while you didn't want to mess it all up, you still had to say something when a few nights later, Billy had a black eye. 

When you climbed through his window that night and looked up to see the bruise, you couldn't help but suck in a startled breath. "Billy," you whispered. "Was it him?"

Billy turned away from you before he sighed. He nodded his head, once, and then sat down on the edge of his bed. 

You didn't even realize you were going to tell Billy anything about the topics Hopper had deemed off limits until you were sitting beside him. "You know, I never knew my real parents."

Billy frowned and looked at you. "I thought you were Hopper's niece?"

You shook your head. "Hopper is the closest thing to a father I've ever had. But I'm not his blood. Not that I know of," you continued with a frown. "Growing up, there was a man who pretended to be my dad. He hurt me. In more ways than one," you explained. You saw Billy tense up out of the corner of your eye, but you kept going. "But I escaped with my sister and we found a new family for a while. She let everything bad that our father did to her consume her. And I don't want to see that happen to you." 

Billy shook his head. "I don't know how to stop it."

You weren't sure if he meant letting himself fall into the same feelings of rage that Kali had or if he was talking about his father. Either way, you reached out to grab his hand. "I'll help you."

He looked up at you with wide eyes, his expression stunned. "How?"

"I don't know yet." You took a deep breath before you reached up to brush your fingers over his eye. "But this is a start."

He sucked in a breath and reached up to grab your hand. You watched as the bruise faded from around his eye. "What did you just do?"

"I healed you," you answered. "It's one of the many things my so-called father did to me. He experimented on me before I was even born. He gave me what some consider a superpower."

Billy shook his head like he didn't quite believe you, but he didn't let go of your hand. "You're something else, you know that? I thought you had done something to me after that fight with Harrington. I just thought you were my guardian angel or something," he said with a grin.

"Or something," you repeated with a shrug of your shoulders. 

"Yeah," Billy agreed. "You're something all right," he said before he pulled you into a kiss. 

Over the next couple of weeks, as spring began to draw to an end, you told him more about the lab and Brenner. You never told him about El, though, since you knew that Hopper would view it as the ultimate betrayal of his trust in you. As far as Billy knew, El, or Jane Hopper, really was Hopper’s daughter. In turn, Billy confided in you about his father and mother. How his mother left him to suffer the abuse of his father all by himself. How he resented Susan and ended up taking it out on Max and everyone else in his life. How he felt guilty about the way he treated Max and other people sometimes, but that he couldn’t seem to stop himself. 

"You haven't taken it out on me," you couldn't help but point out to him.

Billy shook his head. "Not yet. But I'm scared I'm going to."

You reached out and took his hand. "I trust you,” you told him, amazed to realize that you really meant it. He wouldn’t hurt you. At least, you didn’t think he would do it on purpose. “But I think you should try to connect with Max. She’s a good kid.” 

Billy tensed up at the suggestion, but he didn't pull his hand away. "She hates me." He sighed and shook his head. "I don't think I hate her, but I want to," he added after a few moments. 

You weren't sure what to say to that. You would never truly understand Billy's situation just like he would never truly understand yours. You squeezed his hand and bumped your shoulder against his until he looked at you. "I think you should take it one step at a time. Your dad is an asshole, but Max isn't. She's always been pretty nice to me."

Billy grunted something under his breath and turned away from you. Finally, he took a deep breath and nodded his head. "I can try," he finally said. "But no promises."

"That's all I ask," you told him with a relieved grin. 

As summer approached, your relationship with Billy deepened. You still made the time to see everyone else, but you felt like he was always on your mind. You craved the moments when it was just the two of you in his room, even if you were only sitting on his bed and holding hands. You wondered if you loved him, if you were in love with him, but you didn't know enough about the feeling to really be sure. 

Before Billy graduated from high school, Hopper let you have his old trailer. He told you that he figured he was staying up at the cabin with El and you were getting older and probably wanted your own place to stay. You weren't sure how you could thank him, but you resolved to find a job so that you could take care of some of the bills and buy your own groceries. Billy already had his job as a lifeguard lined up and once he graduated high school, he planned on moving in with you. You knew that he was desperate to get away from Neil Hargrove and while you didn't exactly feel thrilled at the idea of leaving Max in a house with the man, you knew that he mostly stayed away from her. Still, you sat her down and told her that if Neil gave her any trouble, then she was supposed to let you know. You were sure that even if you didn't quite have the punch that El's powers packed, that you would still be able to intimidate the man, even if you had to get Hopper on your side. 

One Saturday night just before the school year was over, you were hanging out with Steve at Benny's. He was studying you as he slowly sipped on his milkshake. "So, let me get this straight," he finally started. "Hopper is giving you his old house and you invited Hargrove to move in with you." He blew out a frustrated breath and rolled his eyes. "I don't get it, Y/N. You're a good person. What the hell are you doing with Hargrove?"

You sighed and set down your burger. "I know what he seems like to other people. I know you two don't get along."

Steve sputtered at that. "Don't get along? Y/N, the first time you met the two of us, he just got done kicking my ass. He has done nothing but treat his little sister and the rest of the party like shit. He goes through girls faster than I can blink and he still flirts with them at school, even though I'm sure the two of you are together now."

You knew Billy still flirted with girls. He couldn't help it. He was a natural flirt. Half the time, you were sure it was just a defense mechanism. Like if he flirted with girls and fought with other boys, then no one would look at him for too long to realize that he was in pain. You weren't thrilled he still acted the same way, but you also knew he wasn't all too happy that you were continuing your friendship with Steve. He swore up and down that you meeting Steve every Saturday at Benny's counted as a date, but you told him it wasn't. Steve was just a friend. Hell, Steve was probably your best friend. You needed his friendship and your meetings at Benny's. It kept you grounded.

"Speak of the devil," Steve muttered as he glared at something over your shoulder.

You glanced over your shoulder to see Billy leaning up against his car outside of Benny's. He smirked when he realized that you noticed him watching and raised his hand in a wave. You shook your head and turned back around to face Steve.

"Well?" Steve asked. "Aren't you going to go see what he wants?"

"I'm pretty sure he's keeping an eye on us," you said. "He thinks we're dating."

Steve almost spit out his mouthful of milkshake. He coughed and grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth. "So, he what? Shows up and crashes it?" Steve frowned before he shook his head. "Not that we _are_ dating, but you know what I mean."

"What I have with him," you started, reaching out to grab a fry from Steve's plate and eating it before he could protest. "It's new," you continued. "He doesn't trust me not to hurt him and I guess I don't fully trust him not to betray me. We've both been through some things." You shrugged your shoulders as you ate the stolen fry. "You know some of what I've gone through. Hawkins Lab. Brenner. Kali. But I can't tell you about his stuff. That's not my place. But just trust me on this, Steve, okay?"

Steve was still glaring at Billy over your shoulder. "I trust you," he finally said as he glanced at you. "But I don't trust him. If he so much as puts a hand on you, I'll kill him."

"Don't be so dramatic," you told him, even though you were touched that he wanted to look out for you. It was a strange feeling, having so many people who had your back. Before, you had Kali and the others, but you were never sure if they were really looking out for you. Now, you had Hopper and El. You had Steve, and by extension, Jonathan and Nancy. There was the party and even Joyce Byers, who was always so warm and welcoming every time you saw her. Most of all, though, you now had Billy. He was so slow to trust that there was a part of you that wasn't sure if he would ever really let his guard down around you, but you never wanted to stop trying with him.

"Let's just talk about something else. I need to forget that he's out there watching me like I'm about to bite you or something."

You rolled your eyes and stole another fry. You ignored Steve's attempt to slap your hand away and considered him. "I need a job," you finally said, figuring that it was a safe subject to talk about.

Steve raised an eyebrow at that. "Can you even get a job? Being born in the lab and whatnot?"

"Hopper got me what I needed," you said, lowering your voice. "But I don't want him to have to worry about me. So, I need to get a job."

Steve considered you for a moment before he nodded his head. "Well, you know they're about to open that mall. Starcourt," Steve added. "Maybe you should look there."

Steve's suggestion ended up paying off, because by the time Billy graduated high school and was ready to move in with you in Hopper's old trailer, you had a new job at a store called The Gap. Steve had been trying to get a job at an ice cream place called Scoops Ahoy and when he finally got the job, you ended up hanging out with him in the food court of Starcourt on your breaks. You met Steve's co-worker, a girl named Robin who liked to refer to Steve as a 'dingus.' You weren't quite sure what it meant, but by the annoyed expression on Steve's face every time she said it, you were sure it wasn't anything flattering. 

Still, you couldn't help but like Robin. She poked fun at Steve and seemed wary of you, but there was something about her that told you she wasn't a bad person. Maybe she was a little misunderstood and while you weren't sure why she felt that way, you couldn't help but want to befriend her too. Maybe it was the fact that you had spent your formative years stuck being prodded and poked and basically tortured by a group of scientists, but you couldn't help but want to expand your group of friends as much as possible.

You couldn’t help but hope that the summer of 1985 would be a good one, since Billy was out from under Neil Hargrove's influence and he had his job as a lifeguard. You had a job that you felt like you could handle as long as you didn't accidentally use your power on anyone and you had a group of friends and family to help hold you together if you felt like you were going to fall apart. You knew what it was truly like to love and be loved for the first time in your life and you didn’t want to give it up for anything. 

El had closed the gate. There weren't any signs of the demodogs that had crawled up out of the lab and invaded Hawkins in the fall of '84. The Mind Flayer seemed like it was locked away forever. No one was in danger of being dragged into the Upside Down. 

You knew you should have felt like there were endless possibilities spread before you now that there was no clear sign of danger present. So why couldn't you shake the feeling that everything was about to fall apart?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're enjoying this at all, then please feel free to leave kudos or a comment. Comments really are one of the best forms of motivation for fanfic authors. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who gives this a chance. I see you and appreciate you. <3 
> 
> If you're interested in reader inserts for The Walking Dead or The Umbrella Academy, then please feel free to check out my other fics. :) I'm also on Tumblr at imagine-you-are, so feel free to follow me on there. 
> 
> Also, I don't remember what happened to Hopper's old home on the show, so I'm using it for my own purposes now.


	3. Days Are Always Making You Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for the chapter: Brief mention of the reader harming herself to use her power. Jealousy. Angst. 
> 
> We're officially into the season three events now, so be prepared.

At some point, you and El started trying to experiment with your powers. You figured that if you had these powers in the first place, then there was no reason why you couldn't try to unlock new ones. El could move things with her mind. She could kill people with just a thought. She could project her consciousness into the Void and find people. 

You knew how to heal yourself and others. You knew how to send people to sleep. You could even heal the sick. The only person you had never been able to heal was Will Byers and that was due to the influence of what the party called the Mind Flayer. Feeling the Mind Flayer's influence on Will Byers was something you hoped you would never have to experience again. Your hand still burned from time to time when you thought of it, as if a sick reminder of the heat you had felt when you touched Will's skin. 

You spent hours trying to teach El how to heal. Considering the full scope of El's powers, you didn't think it was a stretch of the imagination to think she could learn to close a wound with her mind or put someone to sleep. So, you tried to teach her. And if she could learn that? Then why couldn't you learn a trick or two from her as well? 

"Think of it like a zipper," you instructed her. "You need to pull the two sides back together." 

You had to wait to instruct El until Hopper was out of the cabin, because he wasn't thrilled about your choice in training methods. You couldn't train with El at your house, because Billy didn't know about El. So, the only time you could work on teaching El to heal was while Hopper was out protecting the citizens of Hawkins. Well, you assumed that's what he was doing when he left. 

She had her hand placed over the cut you'd given yourself. Her brow was furrowed as she concentrated. You wanted to reach out and wipe away the blood trickling out of her nose, but you didn't want to distract her. 

"Try to imagine the sides of the cut closing in until they're pulled back together. Think about urging it to heal." 

El concentrated for a few more moments. You could feel the wound tingling, but you weren't sure if it was from El trying to use her power on it or your own power urging you to heal it for yourself. 

She groaned and shook her head, pulling away. She swiped her arm under her nose, smearing blood. "I can't." 

"You'll get it," you encouraged her. "Want to try something else?" 

She nodded her head and you both got up off the floor of the living room. You healed yourself with barely a thought and followed El to her room. She had been trying to teach you to move things with your mind and use the Void. 

You weren't entirely successful at moving things with just a thought. Sometimes, the objects would vibrate, as if understanding the command you were trying to give them, but they still stuck resolutely in their original place. You could follow her into the Void and she would guide you, but you couldn't quite manage to get there on your own yet. It was like a bunch of static in your head. You felt like if you concentrated enough, tuned your mind to the right frequency, then you could find it. But sometimes, the harder you searched, the farther away it seemed. 

You sat down on the floor of El's room, taking the strip of cloth she gave you. You wrapped it around your head, shielding your view. You listened to El get everything ready before you were aware of her presence in front of you. 

"Ready?" She asked, briefly touching her fingers to your wrist. 

You nodded your head and she withdrew her touch. You took a deep breath, zoning out on the sound of the static from the radio, and tried to find the Void. 

You weren't sure how long you sat there with El watching you. By the time you were aware again, blood was dripping freely down your face and Hopper was home. 

"Shit," you groaned. "I didn't get it." 

"But you weren't here," El said. "Like you were somewhere else." 

"Which is close, but no cigar," you muttered, half-pleased that you had managed _something_. 

"Cigar?" El asked, tilting her head to the side. 

"It's just a phrase I picked up from someone at the mall. It means I didn't quite manage it." 

"Cigar," El repeated, nodding her head, as if she was filing the phrase away to use later. 

"Think I can get Hop to drive me home?" You asked as you stood up, dusting off the back of your legs. You had to stand still for a moment, your legs having gone numb at some point, and waited for the feeling to return. 

"He should be awake," El said, leading you out of her room. "When will you come back?" 

You thought about it and shrugged. "I have work tomorrow. Maybe the day after, then. Does that work for you?" 

El smiled and shook her head. "That's a dumb question." 

You knew what she meant. The only places she went was if she was around the party or if Hopper let her come visit you. You figured that if you were free, then El was most likely free. "Yeah, yeah," you said, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair. You had learned the hard way that El did not appreciate that gesture. 

You found Hopper lounging in his chair, a beer in hand, and his eyes focused on the TV. 

"Hey, Hop," you called. 

"Hey, kid," he said, barely taking his eyes off the screen. "What were you two up to?" 

"Just bonding," you said, reaching out to nudge him. "Can you drive me home?" 

Hopper glanced down at the beer in his hand and then up at you. "Can't you just spend the night here? I'm sure you'll survive a night without Hargrove." 

"But will he survive a night without me?" You asked, grinning at Hopper. "Besides, if you're not up to driving, then I can get some experience in." 

Hopper groaned, but got up out of his chair. "It's a good thing you can heal me if you crash." 

"Want to go, El?" You asked, turning to look at her, and ignoring Hopper’s comment. 

El shook her head in answer. You wondered if she planned on calling Mike while Hopper was gone. You were sure that she was anxious to know what he was up to, since she had only seen him earlier that morning. 

Hopper sighed and led you out of the cabin, reluctantly handing over the keys to his cruiser. "Be careful with her," he said. "I only get one." 

You were quick to grab the keys, hoping that he wouldn't rescind the offer to let you drive his police cruiser. 

You made sure to keep your focus on the road as you drove yourself home. You had gotten used to the route, having made it several times. You were still nervous that you would mess up, though. 

By the time you pulled up to your home, you felt triumphant that Hopper hadn't pretended to use an invisible brake or looked like he was about to take the wheel away from you. You really were improving. 

Hopper pulled you into a hug when you met him near the hood of the cruiser. "Good night, kid. Good night, Hargrove," he called. 

You looked to see Billy standing on the porch. He raised his hand in a wave, but his eyes were focused on you. 

"Does the kid ever wear a shirt?" Hopper asked, his voice low as he leaned closer to you. 

You grinned and shook your head in answer. "See you later, Hopper," you said, patting him on the shoulder as you brushed past him. 

You walked up to the front porch and let Billy pull you into his arms. He kissed you, his arms going around your waist as he pulled you closer. You heard Hopper honk the horn of the cruiser, but decided to ignore him. 

"Hey, babe," Billy said, resting his forehead against yours. "How was Hopper's?" 

"Good," you answered. "How was lifeguarding?" 

"Good," he echoed with a smirk. 

You pulled him into the house. "Did you eat already?" 

Billy shook his head. "I was waiting on you." 

"What if I already ate?" 

"Then I still don't mind waiting," he answered. 

You grinned at him, feeling delighted. Being with Billy always felt like you were lighting up from the inside. He made you feel completely exhilarated and you weren't sure that you ever wanted that feeling to fade. As you watched him check the cabinets for ideas for dinner, you couldn't help but think that you could happily spend the rest of your life with Billy Hargrove. 

When he turned and smiled at you, small and sincere, you hoped he felt the same way. 

You woke a few mornings later to the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Billy had already left, saying he had to help open the pool for early morning swimmers. You had half an hour before you needed to wake up, but the knocking was insistent. You knew there were only a handful of people who would bother to come visit you here, so you made yourself roll out of bed and tug on a pair of shorts that matched the shirt you wore to bed. 

You fanned yourself as you walked to the front door of Hopper's old home. You couldn't help but think that the summer of 1985 was turning out to be a hot one. You opened the door to see Hopper standing there, his hands on his hips as he scanned the yard. 

"That Hargrove kid seems to be keeping up with the lawn work." 

"Yeah," you agreed, even though you usually helped with the upkeep. If Hopper was going to start seeing Billy in a more positive light, then you didn't want to discourage him. 

You led him back towards the living room. Hopper sat down on the couch and you left to get him a glass of water from the kitchen. 

"You're early," you couldn't help but point out as you handed him the glass. "I'm not ready for work yet." 

"I wanted to run something by you," he said, taking a sip of water. 

You sat down on the armchair positioned by the coffee table. "Alright," you said. "What's going on?" 

"Do you think you'd help me break El and Mike up?" 

"What?" You sputtered, feeling blindsided by the question. "Why would you want to do that?" 

"They're just...too close. It's too much. I don't think he's good for her." 

"Hop," you started, not sure how to continue. "Mike loves El. El loves Mike. What more do you need to know?" 

"They _think_ they're in love," he said, as if correcting you. "But they're kids! And the way they carry on. They're too young." He grimaced and shook his head in distaste, as if just the idea of the two kids staying together was enough to upset him. 

"I think if you push them apart, it will only pull them together. Maybe you should hold off on that plan until Mike actually does something you don’t approve of." 

Hopper frowned and set the glass on the coffee table. He was silent for a few moments, and you were considering getting up to get changed for work, before he said something else. "How are things going with you and the Hargrove kid?" He looked like it pained him to ask. 

"Good," you answered. "We're doing good, Hopper." You smirked at him. "How are things going with you and Joyce?" You had noticed the way that Hopper looked at Joyce. You knew he was smitten, if not in love, and you couldn't help but tease him for it. If he was going to ask after your relationship with Billy and try to butt in on El's and Mike's relationship, then you figured you were justified in asking him about Joyce. 

"We're friends," he bit out. 

You grinned at him. "Sure. That's how Billy and I started out too." 

Hopper looked like he was close to rolling his eyes. "Look, kid, there's nothing going on there." 

"I remember saying that about me and Billy too." You knew you'd have to drop the subject soon, because you didn't want to piss Hopper off enough that he wouldn't want to give you a ride to work, but you couldn't help teasing him for just a little longer. Ever since he had practically accepted you into his family, you had started thinking of him more and more like your father. Hopper and El were the family you had always craved when you were growing up and now that you had them, you were more grateful than ever that you had chosen to leave Kali and her group to go with El. 

"If you drop the subject, then I'll buy you breakfast," Hopper offered, looking briefly hopeful that you would take the bait. 

"Fine," you agreed. 

"Now go get dressed," he said. "At this rate, you'll be late for work." 

After Hopper dropped you off at the mall, you briefly considered seeing if Steve was there yet, but you really were in danger of being late. Your supervisor already thought you were a bit weird and you didn't want to give them an excuse to pay even more attention to you. If you were a model employee, then they couldn't fire you. And if they did, then you had the law on your side. 

You rushed through the doors of The Gap and headed to the tiny manager's office at the back of the store. Once you were clocked in, you took up your post behind the register, hoping your shift went quick. 

You let yourself fall into a routine. You helped people find what they were looking for. You ignored the rude customers who acted like you had nothing better to do than fall all over yourself to help them. You tried to be as polite as you could to everyone, but you knew that by the time your shift was drawing to a close, your smile was strained. You were exhausted and your feet were killing you. You were eager to leave by the time your shift was over. 

All you wanted was to go home, but until you could afford your own car, you would have to rely on others. When you were able to clock out, you made your way to Scoops Ahoy. Steve usually offered to drive you home or to meet Billy at the pool, so you hoped he would be able to this time. 

Robin was behind the counter when you walked into the ice cream store. 

She spotted you and held up a hand, silently telling you to wait. "Hey, dingus!" She called, a smirk on her face. "Your girlfriend is here!" 

"What?" You heard Steve yell from the back room and then the sound of something crashing to the floor. 

You shared a grin with Robin and went to sit down at a table. 

Steve poked his head out of the back room, scanning the room until he saw you. "Oh. It's just Y/N." 

You couldn't help but raise your eyebrow in question. "So, what? You're disappointed to see me?" 

"Of course not," he backtracked. "I'm always glad to see my number one girl." He froze and then shook his head. "Shit. You know what I mean." 

Robin was laughing by now, shaking her head as she looked at Steve. "You're hopeless, Harrington." 

"Shut it, Buckley." Steve grumbled something under his breath and adjusted the hat on his head. You couldn't help but think that it was a shame that his uniform required him to wear the hat. Hiding all of that hair was probably not doing Steve any favors when he doubtlessly flirted with customers. "You need a ride to the pool, Y/N?" 

"Yes, please," you answered, glad that you wouldn't have to ride the bus. 

"Give me a few minutes," Steve called when he ducked back into the store room. 

Robin leaned forward, bracing her arms on the counter, and considered you. "So, you two really aren't an item?" 

You shook your head. "Why? You interested?" 

Robin's eyes went wide and she leaned back. She looked uncharacteristically flustered as she turned her back on you. You weren't sure what you could have said that would have caused that reaction, but before you could wonder, Steve was stepping out of the back room. 

"I'll be back in half an hour. I'm taking my break," he said as he dropped his hat onto the counter. "Keep that safe for me," he told Robin. 

"You're going to leave me here by myself?" Robin asked as she turned back around, looking momentarily outraged at the idea. 

"I'll be back as soon as possible. You've got this!" Steve called as he shot her a thumbs up. 

"You owe me, Harrington," Robin grumbled, leaning forward to swipe his hat onto the floor behind the counter. 

"Yeah, yeah," he said as he led you out of Scoops Ahoy. 

"Are you sure you should you leave her to work the counter by herself?" You couldn't help but ask, feeling bad for Robin. 

"She'll be fine," Steve assured you. "She's better at handling the customers than I am, at any rate." 

You followed Steve out of the mall and to his car, glad to be away from the general cacophony of Starcourt. Some days, you just wanted to get away from the crowds and find a safe, quiet place to be by yourself. It was near impossible in a place like the mall, though. When it got really bad, Steve let you into the Scoops Ahoy store room on your breaks, so you could sit back there by yourself. You were always grateful that Steve could help you find those moments of peace before you had to go back to your shift at The Gap. 

You didn't feel like saying much of anything on the way to the pool. Steve didn't bother to turn on the radio, so you were left in silence for the first half of the car ride. 

"Bad day?" Steve asked, his eyes focused on the road. 

"Oh, yeah," you said, feeling wrung out as you pressed your palms to your eyes and rubbed them. "Too many people who never learned manners, apparently." 

"We get a lot of those at Scoops too. Don't let it get to you, though. At least you make money while putting up with them, right?" 

"There is that," you agreed with a grin. 

By the time Steve dropped you off at the pool, you felt marginally better. You nodded at the person behind the counter near the front, glad that everyone who worked there with Billy already knew you, since you were sure you looked strange walking through the pool gates in your work uniform. 

It didn't take you long to spot Billy, and when you did, your tentatively better mood deserted you. 

Karen Wheeler was standing in front of him, dripping water all over the cement walkway that outlined the pool. 

Billy was saying something and Mrs. Wheeler was staring at him, a look of cautious hope on her face. 

She said something back to him, and he threw his head back and laughed, leaning closer to reply. 

You clenched your hands into fists at seeing Billy smirk at Mrs. Wheeler. He was playing with the whistle that was hanging around his neck, twisting the cord with his fingers and pulling on it. 

You could see Mrs. Wheeler considering Billy, looking him up and down. She looked like she was trying to be subtle, but you knew better. 

It wasn't new. You knew that there were many women in Hawkins who would have jumped at a chance with Billy. You tried not to let it get to you, but to see someone actively flirting with him and knowing without a doubt that he was flirting back? You almost couldn't take it. 

It had been a rough day with demanding customers and screaming children begging their moms for ice cream from Scoops Ahoy or to go see a movie. It was hot and you were starting to feel overheated. You just wanted to go home. A part of you knew that you just wanted to drag Billy away from the hungry eyes of the women of Hawkins, but you didn't want to fully admit it to yourself that you were jealous. You felt hurt and betrayed seeing Billy like this with other women. You knew about the way he usually carried on with others. You had always known. But it was different seeing it for yourself. 

By the time he was done talking to her, you were already waiting by the front counter. The guy standing there, Chet or Chad or something, kept trying to keep a conversation going with you, but you couldn't concentrate. You could only think about Billy and whether or not he still needed you. 

When Billy walked out to the front, he seemed surprised to see you. "Hey, babe," he greeted you, pulling you into a kiss. 

You felt stiff and awkward, but you made yourself relax. You didn't want to cause a scene and you definitely didn't want to let Billy know that something was wrong. You would get over it. You always did. 

"You okay?" He asked, reaching out to pull at a lock of your hair teasingly. 

You nodded your head. 

"Harrington drop you off?" 

You nodded your head again, still not saying anything. You didn't trust yourself to not launch into a tirade about Karen Wheeler and the desperate housewives of Hawkins. 

"Ready to go, then?" His head was tilted as he considered you. You knew he knew something was up, but you still couldn't make yourself verbally respond. "Let me go shower and get changed," he said, nodding his head towards the locker rooms. 

You waited for him while he showered in the men's locker room. By the time he came back out, dressed in jeans and a half-open shirt, and led you to his car, you felt like you could talk without making an idiot out of yourself. 

"Bad day?" Billy asked as he pulled the car out of the pool parking lot, unknowingly echoing Steve from before. 

"Terrible," you answered. "How was the pool?" 

"Fine," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. He sat up straight and rolled his shoulders. "Sore from sitting in that damn chair for so long." 

"Want me to see if I can help you feel better?" You wriggled your fingers, offering to use your power. 

Billy nodded. "Let's wait until we get home, though. Maybe I can return the favor," he said with a wink. 

You knew you were blushing when you turned to stare out the passenger seat window. You and Billy had moved past the honeymoon stage of your relationship, but he always managed to make you blush like it was your first day together all over again. 

He put his hand on your thigh, squeezing gently. When you turned to look at him, you noticed he was smirking, looking pleased with himself. 

"Oh, hush," you said as you swatted at his hand. 

"You don't know what you do to me, Y/N. It's never been this way before," he told you, his tone low and serious. “I’m glad you found me,” he added, glancing at you briefly before focusing on the road again. 

You felt pleased at the thought that you weren't like the other girls he had been with. It was enough to make you forget about your earlier jealousy. 

You let him take you by the hand when you got home, leading you into the house. He sat down on the couch in the living room, pulling you down with him. You moved to kiss him, your hands going to his shoulders. You used your power to try to sooth his sore muscles, feeling relieved when he seemed to melt into your touch. 

By the time both of you were relaxed and content, you mentioned making dinner. 

Billy hummed something, but didn't bother to unwrap his arms from around your waist. "Let's just stay here for a while longer." 

"Okay," you agreed. You absently ran your finger in patterns over his chest. "How was your day? Besides the uncomfortable lifeguard chair," you added. 

He laughed, reaching out to grab your hand and stop its movement. "It was fine. Stopped some brat from falling and cracking his head open. Offered to give Karen Wheeler private lessons. Nothing much," he finished, shrugging his shoulders. 

You froze, going tense at the mention of Karen Wheeler. 

Billy sighed, squeezing your hand. "What?" 

"Nothing," you tried to deny, pushing yourself away from him. 

"It's something," he grumbled. "We were just having a nice moment and now we're not. So, what's going on?" 

You shrugged your shoulders. "What do you want for dinner?" You tried to deflect, hoping he would let you drop the subject. 

"Y/N," he snapped. "What is it?" 

You couldn't help it this time. "It's the private lessons with Karen Wheeler," you answered. 

He considered you for a moment, his eyebrows raising in surprise. "Is that it? You don't trust me?" 

"I trust you!" You were quick to assure him. You did. You didn't trust Karen Wheeler. Or any of the other women who thought they had a piece of Billy. 

Billy had gone still and quiet on the couch beside you. Finally, he shook his head. "Is this you being jealous, Y/N?" 

"No! Maybe. I don't know!" Were you jealous? You didn't want to be, but the more you learned from everyone around you, the more you fell victim to everything you never wanted to adapt. 

"You know," he started, leaning forward until he was sitting on the edge of his seat. "This is how I always feel about your little friendship with Harrington." 

"This is different," you couldn't help but argue. 

"Oh, yeah?" He turned to look at you, but you kept your face turned away. You didn't want to be having this conversation. You didn't want to fight. "Why?" 

"Because Steve is my best friend. These women, they're just...desperate. They're pathetic!" 

"_I'm_ pathetic or they're pathetic?" 

"Them!" You yelled, wincing at the volume of your own voice. You sighed and tried to take a deep breath. "They go and stare at you all day and think they have a shot with you. And you do nothing to shut that down," you accused. 

"What do you want me to do, Y/N? You want me to quit?" 

The silence stretched between you for long enough that you knew it was an answer. 

"I need this job. _We_ need for me to have this job." 

"I can get you something at the mall," you offered, your tone weak. You knew you were being unreasonable. Billy hadn't given you a reason to think it was anything more than flirting. You trusted him. You just weren't sure that you trusted the housewives of Hawkins to keep their hands to themselves. 

"I don't want to work at that shitty mall," he said, his tone sharp. "I don't want to be talking about this or thinking you don’t trust me. I do want my girlfriend to fucking look at me when we're fighting," he snapped. 

You finally turned and look at him. He looked furious, but you never for one moment felt unsafe. You knew Billy wouldn't hurt you. He was less quick to anger lately. He had been trying to forge a connection with Max. You knew that he had apologized to Steve for the fight and Lucas Sinclair. You knew that things were better for him now. But you still couldn't help but flinch at the look in his eyes, knowing that you had helped put that helpless, stormy expression on his face. He looked cornered and you didn't want to contribute any more to it. 

You stood up from the couch, moving to walk into the kitchen. 

"Where are you going?" 

You stopped, halfway across the living room. "I think we need a little space," you said. "I was going to go sit in the kitchen and cool down." 

Billy was worrying his lip with his teeth. "Don't bother," he grumbled. He stood from the couch, reaching for his jacket. 

"Where are you going?" 

"Out," he snapped, grabbing his keys. 

You wanted to tell him not to leave. The night had spiraled out of control so quick. You had a feeling in the pit of your stomach that something bad was going to happen. But you couldn't find the words to tell him anything before he was out the door, slamming it behind him. 

"Shit," you hissed, your feet stuck to the floor. You knew you should go after him. You should stop him. But you still stood there, staring at the door, and hoping he would walk back through it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you have a wonderful day. ♥  
To everyone who shows this some love, I greatly appreciate it. You're all amazing. 
> 
> If you're interested in Walking Dead or Umbrella Academy reader inserts, then please feel free to check out my other fics.


	4. Better Find Another Superstition

You sat on the couch waiting for Billy to come home. You thought maybe you should go to sleep. Maybe he would be there when you woke up. You thought about going over to Hopper's, wanting El to keep you company. You thought about calling Steve and asking him to come hang out with you, but you knew that if Billy came home to find Steve there, then it would just create more problems. You also thought about visiting the Hargrove and Mayfield residence in the hopes that Billy would have gone there, but you knew better. If Billy could avoid being in the same building as Neil Hargrove, then he would. 

After a couple of hours, just as you were drifting off, the phone rang. 

You jumped up to grab it, hating how eager you were to hear any news about Billy. You were worried for a moment that maybe he had been in an accident and this was _the call_. You knew, though, that if that were the case, then Hopper would have come to the house to notify you. 

"Hello?" 

Static was your only answer. 

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm yourself. "Billy? Is that you?" 

There was a break in the static, as if the line fully connected for just a second, before it blared even louder in your ear. You winced, but refused to pull the phone away in case anything was said. 

"Billy? Are you okay? Where are you?" 

The static spiked again before the call dropped. 

"Shit," you hissed, staring down at the phone in disbelief. You wished that you could dial the number back. You wished that you knew where the call came from. You couldn't help but think that the call had to have come from Billy. Who else would call the house in the middle of the night? There was a feeling in the pit of your stomach that told you that Billy was in danger. 

You wanted to call Hopper and wake him up. He could help you search. Or, you could go see El and ask her to search for him. You glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed that it was well past midnight. You warred between waking up your family or waiting to see if you were worrying over nothing. 

Maybe you were overreacting, you told yourself. You had never had such a serious fight with Billy before. He was probably out driving too fast down back roads and waiting for his anger to dissipate. He would be back. You knew it. 

Despite trying to convince yourself that everything was fine, you still couldn't make yourself go to sleep. 

You stayed curled up on the couch, thinking that everything had been fine just hours before. You wished that your power allowed you to go back in time so that you could take back your moment of jealousy. So what if Billy wanted to give Karen Wheeler private swim lessons? It didn't have to mean anything. If you had just kept your emotions in check, then he would still be there with you. You would be with him in bed and asleep, worry-free. 

You waited all night, dozing off every so often, but jerking awake with the thought that Billy might come home. Every sound was amplified to you and you couldn't help but check outside every so often, hoping to see Billy's car. But it wasn't there. Billy wasn't there. 

About an hour before your alarm would have woken you up, you found yourself sitting in front of the radio, a strip of cloth in your hand. You turned the dial until only static came through, taking a deep breath to steel yourself for what you were about to do. You had never successfully visited the Void on your own, but you were worried. If you could just find Billy, check on him and make sure he was okay, then you could get on with your day. 

You wrapped the cloth around your head, shutting out the weak light that was starting to show around the edges of the curtains. You tried to steady yourself, ignoring your exhaustion, and focused on the static. You could search for the Void in the absence of sound. Every time the sound skipped, it felt like you were drawing closer to the place you wanted most to be in that moment. You weren't sure how long you sat there, desperately trying to reach the Void, but by the time you came back to yourself, blood was freely dripping down your face from your nose. 

"Fuck," you groaned, wiping at the blood with your hand. You hadn't reached the Void, but you felt like you were close to it. You considered the cloth in your hand again, thinking about another attempt. You knew it was dangerous, though. You already felt like you were ready to pass out and you knew you had to leave for work soon. 

You wanted to call someone, anyone that could give you answers. But you weren't sure if you were overreacting. For all you knew, Billy really was at his old house. You wouldn't put it past him to have snuck in through the window of his old bedroom and just stay there for the night. If he was really hurt and pissed off, then maybe that's what he did. Maybe, just maybe, you would see him later that day. 

You waited until the sun fully came up before you finally shuffled off to your bedroom. In a couple of hours, you were supposed to be at work. If you didn't show up, then they would fire you. You tried to reason with yourself that you needed this job. You needed to keep the house and you needed to distract yourself from worrying about Billy. If he wasn't there to give you a ride to work, then you would just have to catch the bus. 

You knew you could call Hopper or Steve, but you weren't sure what would happen if you had to admit that you weren't sure where Billy had gone off to the night before. It was a long walk, but if it saved you from the pitying looks or allusions to the thought of Billy finding solace with another woman last night, then you would take it. 

You promised yourself that you would take your shift at work to think of your best course of action and if Billy didn't show up, then you would confide in Hopper. You forced yourself to shower and change, knowing that if you left soon, then you would just make it there on time. 

You had to practically drag yourself to the bus stop. Once the bus pulled up, you climbed up the stairs and dropped into the first available seat, staring out the window and trying not to think about Billy. He was all you could think about, though. 

By the time you made it into work, you wished you had time to stop and get coffee from somewhere, but you knew you didn't. 

You rushed towards The Gap, waving off your co-worker's concerns when she tried to stop you and ask if you were okay. 

"Fine," you bit out, pushing past her. 

"Hey!" She called, shocked by your brusque brush off. 

You took a deep breath, mumbling an apology over your shoulder, and then went to get ready for your shift. 

Every day at your job seemed like one torturous crawl, but today was worse. You couldn't concentrate. You could barely keep your eyes open because they were burning from exhaustion. You felt like you could fall asleep standing up as you waited for customers to come to the register so you could ring up their purchases. You kept having to walk around behind the counter, not wanting to accidentally drift off while you should be working. 

You weren't prepared for seeing Max or El walk into the store. You frowned at them and moved from behind the counter, walking over to where they were considering a rack of clothes. 

"Does Hopper know you're here?" You couldn't help but ask El, knowing that both of you would wind up in trouble for this. 

El shook her head, a delighted grin on her face. 

Max plucked a shirt from the rack and handed it to El. "We're finding El's style. You going to help us or not?" 

You shared a look with El, trying to silently ask her if this is what she wanted. 

El nodded her head. "I want my own clothes." 

You sighed and shook your head. "If Hopper asks, I don't know anything. But I'll let you use my employee discount." You yawned and turned away, and then remembered why you were so tired. "Hey, Max," you said, pulling her attention away from where she was considering a pair of pants. 

"Yeah?" She asked, barely glancing up at you. 

"Did Billy come by last night?" 

She stopped and finally looked up to consider you. "What? Why would you ask that?" 

"I just wondered," you said, not sure if you wanted to spill about your fight with Billy. "Was he there?" 

"I thought I heard something late last night. Might have been him," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders. "Did you two get in a fight or something?" 

"Or something," you muttered, turning away from her. You glanced at where El was trying out a beret on her head. You shook your head. "Not that one," you told her before you went back to where you were supposed to be, behind the counter and waiting to assist customers. 

By the time Max and El left, both of them giggling and fawning over their new purchases, you were nearing your limit for worrying over Billy. You weren't sure what you were supposed to do, but you knew it needed to happen _soon_. 

When you were finally able to clock out for the day, your head felt like it was spinning. You had been hoping Billy would come see you at work all day, but he never showed up. There was a knot in your stomach that felt like it was growing bigger with each moment that passed without him. You didn't know if he was okay. Was the phone call from him? What if he was simply pissed off? What if he went into work today? You wished that you could leave and go check, but by the time you got there, whether by bus or Steve, his shift would be over. He'd be gone. 

You dragged your feet all the way to Scoops Ahoy, rethinking the fight and night before. You weren't sure how much longer you were supposed to wait before you went to Hopper or El to help you. El was having her first day, possibly ever, of just being a carefree kid. You couldn't rip that away from her with your problems. 

"Y/N!" Steve called from where he was standing behind the counter of Scoops Ahoy. "Ready to get the hell out of here?" 

You shrugged your shoulders, walking until you were close enough to lean against the counter. 

"Hey, Y/N," Dustin said. You frowned at where you could see him sitting in the back room with Robin. "You won't believe all the shit we've figured out today." 

"Whoa, hey," Robin said, putting her hand out. "Can we trust her with this?" 

Dustin and Steve both rolled their eyes, sharing a look as if they couldn't believe Robin had just asked that. 

"That's a stupid question," Dustin said with a shake of his head, looking at Robin like he was disappointed in her. "If there's anyone who would have a clue, it's people like Y/N." 

"People like Y/N?" Robin asked in disbelief. "What does that mean?" 

"Nothing," you and Steve answered at the same time. 

"Okay," Robin said, drawing out the word. "Sure, trust me to crack the Russian code, but not to know anything else important." 

"Look," Steve started. "It's not you. It's us, right?" He added with a grin, sharing a look with you as if you understood the joke. 

"Whatever," Robin said with a roll of her eyes. "It's almost time to lock up, right? Let's just get the hell out of here." 

You sat at a table in Scoops Ahoy while Robin and Steve closed down for the night. Dustin sat in the seat across from you, babbling about the Russians taking over and the message he intercepted on something he called Cerebro. 

"I was trying to talk to my girlfriend," he explained, a blush on his face. 

That caught your attention. "Girlfriend?" You asked with your eyebrow raised. "When did you get a girlfriend?" 

"Her name is Suzie," Dustin explained, launching into the story of how they met at Camp Know Where and it was love at first nerd. 

"Well, good for you," you said with a sigh. You figured if you were having relationship problems, then at least someone else was getting it right. "So did you talk to her?" 

"No, that's what I'm trying to tell you!" He slammed his hands down on the table, causing you to jump. "Shit, sorry," he sighed. "Look, I was trying to talk to her, but I got some kind of Russian coded message instead. It took us all day, but we figured out a part of it." 

"I figured it out," Robin cut in, rolling her eyes. 

"Let's just get out of here," Steve said, jumping over the counter. "We can pick this back up again tomorrow." 

"Yeah, if the Russians haven't taken over by then," Dustin muttered as he pushed himself up from his seat. 

You followed after Dustin, Steve, and Robin, not really paying attention to their conversation as you made your way towards one of the Starcourt exits. They seemed excited about the secret message they spent all day decoding. You weren't sure what it was supposed to mean, only having heard something about a silver cat and something blue and yellow. They were bickering about what the 'cat' part of the message referred to when you noticed that Steve had stopped walking. 

He was standing in front of a kid's ride, contemplating it. "Anyone have a quarter?" Steve asked, turning to look at the three of you. 

Dustin rolled his eyes and handed over a quarter. All three of you watched as Steve crouched down in front of the ride, waiting for it to start up. 

"I think you're a little too old for that, Harrington," Robin called, an amused grin on her face. 

"No, just shut up," he snapped, holding his hand out. "Listen." 

You weren't sure what was so groundbreaking about the music playing from the ride, but Robin and Dustin seemed to understand that it was somehow important to what they had been working on all day. 

It wasn't until Steve explained that the message had to have come from inside the mall that you realized maybe there was more going on in Hawkins than you originally thought. 

"The Russians are what?" Dustin asked, head tilted to the side as he thought. "Using Starcourt as a secret base?" 

"Not sure," Steve said. "But they're doing something here." 

They kept discussing why the Russians might have been in Starcourt for the rest of the walk out to the parking lot. Robin waved as she got on her bike and pedaled away, leaving the three of you to walk to Steve's car. 

Dustin moved to take the passenger seat, but Steve shook his head. "That's Y/N's," he said. "Get in the back seat." 

Dustin rolled his eyes. "Just because you have a crush on her," Dustin grumbled before he ducked into the car. 

You pretended not to hear, knowing that Dustin was only saying it to rile Steve up. 

Dustin talked the whole ride to his house about his time at camp and Suzie. You were thankful for the distraction he provided. You had figured out after knowing Dustin for only a week that if you let him go, then he would do anything to fill the silence. 

Once Dustin was in his house, Steve started in the direction of your home. 

"What's going on with you?" 

You glanced over at him, but then quickly looked away to stare out your window. "What do you mean?" 

"You're more quiet than usual. You usually give Dustin shit for half the stuff he says, but you barely seemed like you were listening." 

"I was listening," you tried to argue. "Guess I'm just tired." 

"Didn't sleep well last night?" 

"Yeah. Couldn't sleep," you mumbled, frowning out the window. 

"Nightmares?" 

"It doesn't matter, Steve," you groaned. "I'll try to sleep more tonight. Problem solved." 

Steve sighed, but didn't push the subject any further. He reached out towards the volume control on his radio and turned it up, singing softly along to the song playing. 

You felt dejected when Steve pulled up to your home and Billy's car wasn't there. Had you ruined your relationship by being insecure? You hoped not, but you at least wanted the opportunity to talk things out. You had a sick feeling that something had happened to Billy, though. What if he was hurt? What if he crashed his car? You just wanted to know _something_ about how he was doing. Even if he never wanted to see you again, it would hurt, but you would take that if you could just know that he was okay. 

"Hargrove isn't home?" Steve asked with a frown. "You sure you don't want to come to my house and hang out or something?" 

"I should wait for him," you said, reaching out to open the door. "But thank you, Steve. For everything," you added, glancing at him. 

"Are you and Hargrove having problems or something?" He looked like he was torn between being excited by the idea and sorry for you. 

"Or something," you said, echoing yourself from just hours earlier when you had a similar conversation with Max. "Don't worry about it, Steve. I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Hey," Steve said, reaching out to grab your wrist. "You're my best friend. Of course I'm going to worry." 

You turned to look at Steve before you offered him a small, genuine smile. "If it's not solved by tomorrow, then I'll tell you everything. But for now, I just want to go to bed." 

He nodded and dropped his grip on your wrist. You turned and pulled him into a hug, tugging on a lock of his hair. "Hey, watch the hair," he warned, swatting halfheartedly at your hand as he pulled away from you. "You sure you'll be okay?" 

"I'm sure," you agreed before you got out of his car. You were careful not to slam the door behind you as you walked up to your home, waving over your shoulder before you unlocked the front door. You felt touched when you realized that Steve waited until you got inside before he left, knowing that he was just trying to look out for you. 

You changed your clothes, opting to pull on a clean pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt that belonged to Billy. It comforted you as you settled on the couch, wondering if you were in for another sleepless night waiting on Billy. The worry was eating away at you, twisting your stomach until you felt like you were going to throw up. 

After half an hour of waiting, you finally resolved to do something. 

You reached for the phone, dialing Hopper's number. You listened to it ring over and over before getting the answering machine. 

"Hopper," you sighed. "Please call me when you get this." 

You put the phone back in its cradle and stared around your empty home. It felt eerie being there by yourself. You sighed and shook your head. Maybe you could walk to Hopper's and hope he was there. If anything, he could help you look for Billy. 

You grabbed your keys and a flashlight, hoping that you were making the right decision. You locked up the house, turning to glance at it once you were further down the driveway. An odd part of you felt like you wouldn't see the house for a long time and you couldn't shake the feeling. You hoped it was wrong, though. You sighed and turned back, hoping that Hopper could help you find some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Billy wasn't in this chapter, but I wanted a little bit of Steve bonding before things go topsy turvy. Billy is in the next chapter, but well...I can't guarantee it's a happy reunion.
> 
> If you're enjoying this, then letting me know would make my week. ♥ Also, I'm sort of working on a Vampire Diaries reader insert that is Klaus/Reader, so if you're interested in that, please let me know. 
> 
> If you're interested in The Walking Dead or Umbrella Academy reader inserts, then please feel free to check out my other fics. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who shows this love. ♥


	5. 'Cause the Misery's Funny to You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I screwed with the timeline a bit on this one for the episode it's based on.

You didn't really stop to think about how stupid it was to go traipsing around the woods in the middle of the night. You had just been so sick of sitting in your house alone, waiting to see if Billy would show up, that you had taken off to Hopper's without thinking about how far away his cabin was or if you could even find your way in the dark. The flashlight helped, but after the third spiderweb you walked into, you couldn't help but wonder if you would have been better off just staying home and waiting for Hopper to finally answer your calls. 

You kept moving forward, though. You kept thinking about Billy's absence from your day and the weird phone call from the night before. Had Billy been trying to call you for help? You felt sick at the thought that he had tried to reach out to you and you hadn't been able to be there for him. You hoped that seeking the help of Hopper or El turned something up so you could finally get some answers. 

You weren't sure how long it took you to finally get to Hopper's cabin. You were relieved when you finally found it, making sure to not activate any of the tripwires he still kept up because he was so paranoid about someone coming to take El away from him. You couldn't really blame him, but you were sure that there were other methods he could employ to keep her safe. Besides, El had more than proved to be capable of fending off attacks all by herself. 

You walked up the stairs of the cabin, knocked on the front door, and hoped that someone answered. When no one came to the door, you sighed and closed your eyes, trying to reach the part of your power you were still trying so hard to work on. You had yet to successfully move something with your mind, but you were determined now more than ever. You thought of it like a muscle you had to strengthen. You were sure if you kept working at it, then you would finally have the results you wanted. 

After a few moments, you opened your eyes and groaned, resolving to keep trying until you got it. "Focus," you whispered to yourself, visualizing the locks. You thought of pulling the chains back and turning the locks, the satisfaction you'd feel at the click of each one coming undone. You felt your nails bite into your palms as you clenched your fists, all of your focus going towards unlocking the door. 

You gasped when the door swung open in front of you. You thought for a second that Hopper had heard you and taken pity on you, but when you opened your eyes, there was no one there. 

"Holy shit," you breathed, triumph stretching a quick grin on your face. This was the first time you'd ever successfully done something with your mind. You felt drained as you pushed yourself into the cabin, absently swiping away the blood that was pooling under your nose. 

You turned to lock the door behind you, knowing that Hopper would give you hell if he knew you'd left it unlocked. When you turned back, it was to see Hopper asleep in his recliner, a bottle of wine on the floor beside him. 

You frowned at him, wondering if he was okay, before you heard a giggle coming from the direction of El's room. You felt your frown deepen, thinking for a moment that El had managed to sneak Mike into her room. You walked over to El's room, reaching up to knock on the door as you leaned against the frame. 

"Yeah?" You heard El's voice call out. 

"It's Y/N," you answered, surprised when the door immediately opened. You had to catch yourself from stumbling into El's room. You glanced up to see El sitting on her bed, her and Max sitting hunched over a bottle and slips of paper. 

"What are you doing here?" El asked, her brow furrowing. 

"Did my brother drop you off?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow at you. "Because it looks like you walked through the woods," she said, nodding down at the dirt and mud clinging to your shoes. 

"Shit," you hissed, having forgotten to toe them off at the door like you usually did. "Sorry, El," you said. You took your shoes off, hoping you hadn't tracked mud into the house. 

"Is everything okay?" El asked, sitting up to fully consider you. 

"No," you answered, shaking your head. "Billy and I got in a fight last night. I haven't seen him since." 

Max's eyes went wide at that. "I knew something was weird about you earlier. Is he missing?" 

You shrugged your shoulders. "I don't know. But I think something's wrong." 

El glanced down at the bottle in her hand. "We were going to play a game," she started, her tone careful. "Max came up with it." 

"Yeah," Max said with a nod of her head. "El was going to spin the bottle and whoever it landed on, she was going to spy on them. We were just about to find you," she explained, holding up the piece of paper with your name on it. "But if you're here, then maybe we should find Billy instead," Max suggested, turning to share a look with El. 

"Please," you begged her. "I tried to look this morning, but I couldn't do it by myself." 

El nodded her head and stood from the bed. You turned to the radio on her dresser, twisting the dial until you found the white noise that would allow El to slip into the Void. 

You waited while El sat down on the floor, her back to the dresser. She wrapped a strip of cloth over her eyes, her breathing going slow and steady as she reached out to the Void. 

You sat down on the edge of her bed, leaning over towards her, as you waited for her to mention anything about Billy. 

You could tell she was frowning at whatever she saw in the Void. "Heather," she mumbled, her brow furrowing deeper. 

"Heather?" Max asked. She turned to glance at you, suddenly nervous. "I'm sure it's nothing," she tried to assure you. 

You knew what Max was thinking. She thought Billy had left you and picked up another girl. You trusted Billy, though. You knew, _hoped_, that he wouldn't do that to you. 

El gasped and then tore the strip of cloth away from her eyes. "Heather," she murmured. "She's in trouble." 

"What?" You couldn't help but ask, leaning even further toward El. "Who is she?" 

El shook her head. "I don't know," she answered with a grimace. "But I think Billy was hurting her." 

That made you sit up. Billy was hurting a girl? That didn't sound right to you. 

"What happened? What did you see?" Max asked, reaching a hand out to help El up off the floor. 

"There was a girl. She was screaming." 

"Heather," Max supplied for El. "And what was Billy doing?" 

"He was over her," El said, her face scrunched up in confusion. "And she was screaming. I think he was hurting her." 

Max's mouth dropped open for a moment before she shook her head. "I hate to say it," she started, shooting you another nervous look. "But it sounds like whatever they were doing, he probably wasn't hurting her. Whatever you saw was probably weird and gross and confusing, but this is Billy we're talking about here." 

You bit your lip and turned your head away, not wanting to even consider if Max's words were true. You knew, deep down, that Billy wasn't out cheating on you. Unless you were presented with proof and caught him in the act, then you would still give him the benefit of the doubt. 

El didn't looked convinced by Max's words either. "No," she denied with a shake of her head. "He was hurting her." 

Max sighed and looked like she wanted to keep arguing, but she didn't. After a few moments, she turned to you. "You said he didn't come home last night, right?" 

You nodded your head. "We got in a fight and he left. I haven't seen him since." 

"Okay, so maybe you were right earlier at Starcourt. Maybe he did come to my house instead." 

"Should we go check?" El asked, glancing from Max to you. "Maybe he left something there." 

You knew it was late, but you didn’t want to wait until morning to investigate. "How are we going to get there? And won't your parents be upset if you show up late?" You glanced to Max, wondering why she was still at the cabin. 

"Oh, I told them I was sleeping over at a friend's house. El is supposed to sleep over at mine tomorrow night," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders. 

You couldn't help but raise a brow at that in surprise. "Hopper approved that?" 

El flashed you a quick, mischievous grin. "He doesn't know." 

You rolled your eyes, knowing that Hopper would most certainly find out about the plan and would not be happy about it. But, you figured if it came down to an argument, then you would be in El's corner. You wanted her to have as many normal teenage experiences as she could after everything she had gone through with Hawkins Lab and the horror that had spilled from the gate. 

You thought about how you were going to get both El and Max over to Max's house without having to walk all the way over there. You were eager to find out any information about Billy, so you weren't feeling particularly patient enough to make the trek to the Hargrove and Mayfield resident. It was then that you considered El's plan to not tell Hopper about spending the night at Max's the next night. You felt a grin stretch across your face as you turned and left the room, seeking out Hopper's keys to his cruiser. 

"Hey Hopper," you muttered, making sure to keep your voice low enough that you didn't risk waking him up. If the way he was snoring loudly was any indication, though, he was well and truly out. "Is it cool if I borrow your car? Oh, it is? Thanks, Hop," you said, reaching out to gently touch his arm in silent thanks. You knew that if he found out you took the cruiser without him, he would pissed off, but Dustin had been the one to teach you it was better to ask forgiveness than permission in moments like this and you thought it wise to follow his advice. 

You walked back into El's room, holding up the keys. "Let's go, girls." 

"Wow," Max breathed. "Hopper is going to kill you," she told you as she brushed past you. 

"Yeah, well," you said with a shrug of your shoulders. 

You felt restless as you walked out to the cruiser, knowing that if everything went right, then Hopper would never know that you had borrowed his car in the first place. 

You drove to Max's house going five under the speed limit, since you really didn't want to attract attention. If you got pulled over, even if you were in Hopper's cruiser, then it wouldn't be good. You really didn't want to end up in jail or have to wait for Hopper to bail you out. 

You pulled up to the curb outside of Max's house, glad to see the lights were off. It would be easier to sneak in if Max's parents were asleep already. 

"Okay," you said, turning to look at Max in the back seat. "How are we doing this?" 

"We can sneak in through my bedroom window," she suggested. "It's what I usually do." 

"Alright. Be careful not to slam the door when you get out," you warned El and Max. 

You followed Max around to the side of her house, watching as she pulled open the window to her bedroom and scrambled inside. She turned to look at El. "Come on," she hissed, holding out her hand. "Hurry before any neighbors see." 

You waited for El to climb up into Max's room before you went, glancing around to make sure you couldn't see anyone who might notice the three of you sneaking into the Hargrove house. You were sure that if word got back to Neil Hargrove about this, then it wouldn't be pretty. 

You followed Max out of her room, being sure to keep quiet as you snuck down to Billy's room. You hoped that somehow, even though his car wasn't outside, that you would find him there. But when Max carefully opened the door to Billy's room, it was empty. 

You let out a sigh of frustration as all three of you looked around the deserted room. You weren't sure what to think at this point. You had a feeling in your gut that something was wrong, but you weren't sure what could possibly have happened the night before to Billy for you to feel this way. 

You didn't even notice when Max and El left the room. You had been going through some of the things Billy left behind, wondering if he ever planned on coming back for them. 

"Y/N," Max whispered from the doorway. "Come check this out." 

You turned and followed her to Billy’s bathroom. El was standing over the bathtub, something held in her hand as she frowned down at the water that still filled the tub. 

Max reached into the tub and pulled out a plastic bag, turning it for you to see the word printed on the side of it. 

"Ice?" You reached out to take it from her, turning the bag over in your hands as if it somehow contained a message from Billy. 

"Will," El mumbled as she clenched her fist around whatever was in her hand. "When he had the Mind Flayer inside of him, he said it liked the cold." 

"Maybe Billy just wanted to ice his muscles? He probably did a crazy workout session and then needed an ice bath?" Max didn't sound like she was convinced by her own words, but you figured anything was better than thinking the Mind Flayer had a hold of Billy. 

"Then why was this here?" El asked as she finally showed you and Max what she had been holding onto. 

It was something you recognized since Billy had gotten a job at the community pool. "A lifeguard whistle," you muttered as you reached out to take it. You blinked down at it, noticing there was something on it. "Is that blood?" You felt your breath stutter at the sight. Your mind raced ahead of you with all the implications of what the three of you had found in Billy's bathroom. You couldn't help but think that maybe Billy was hurt when he ended up here. What if he was attacked? What if the Mind Flayer was still present in Hawkins and had taken Billy? 

"Check this out," Max said, ducking down to the floor and picking something up from under the sink. "It's one of those lifeguard kits," she continued, frowning down at it. "Why is it in here?" 

You sighed and handed the whistle back to El, not wanting to keep studying it. "We'll have to go to the pool and ask someone there," you decided. "If that's Billy's, then maybe they can tell us." 

"What if it isn't Billy's?" Max asked, staring at the kit in her hands. 

You shrugged your shoulders. "I don't know," you answered. You weren't sure what any of it meant. It felt like with every clue you uncovered, there were more mysteries being revealed. "We need to get back to Hopper's," you decided, knowing that there wasn't anything you could do until the pool opened the next day. "We'll go to the pool tomorrow and see if we can find anything out." 

You tried to keep your focus on getting back to Hopper's cabin, knowing that with every minute you were away, you were pushing your luck about keeping this a secret from Hopper. You knew that if you let your mind wander, then you would only think about Billy. Was all of this because of the Mind Flayer? You had thought that El closed the gate. Life in Hawkins was supposed to be peaceful now, since the monster had been locked away and Hawkins Lab was deserted. But what if there was a new threat? What if the scientists that had turned you, Kali, and El into superpowered humans weren't the only players on the board? 

You led El and Max back up to Hopper's cabin, letting out a sigh of relief when you opened the door and saw Hopper still passed out in his chair. You were careful to put Hopper's keys back where you found them before you went into El's room. 

"Mind if I stay here tonight?" You asked her, knowing that you definitely didn't want to have to walk all the way back home and then stay there by yourself. You knew, deep down, that Billy wouldn't be back home that night either. 

"You can stay," El agreed. 

It didn't take long for you to make yourself a bed on the floor, staring up at the ceiling of El's room and hoping that tomorrow would finally bring you the answers you were looking for. As you managed to drift off to sleep, you couldn't help but think that if the sinking feeling in your gut was any indication, then it would only bring more problems. 

You woke up in the morning to Hopper standing over you, his hands on his hips. "Did you take the cruiser out last night?" 

You squinted up at him. "How the hell?" You groaned, thinking that you had been so smooth last night. 

“Can’t keep anything from me, kid.” Hopper simply raised a brow at you and shook his head. "I can't even ground you," he muttered before he turned and left El's room. 

You sat up and looked at El's bed, noticing that Max and El weren't there. You pushed yourself to your feet and shuffled off towards the kitchen. Max and El were at the table, both giggling about something. You sighed and reached forward to snag the Eggo off El's plate, ducking when she sent a plastic cup from the counter at your head. 

"You two going to be ready to go soon?" You asked around a mouthful of waffle, moving to put another Eggo in the toaster for El. 

"Where are you going?" Hopper asked, frowning at the three of you. 

"The pool," you answered. "I have to pick something up and then I was going to take the girls back to my house. We were thinking of having a sleepover," you lied, winking at El and Max. "Is that cool?" 

Hopper looked like he wanted to argue, but one glance at El's hopeful face had him caving. "As long as you stay at your house. No going out late at night or anything." 

"I promise," you said, hating that you were technically lying to Hopper. You wouldn't have minded Max and El staying over at your house, and if it turned out that they wanted to do that instead of stay at Max's house, then you weren't going to argue. Besides, it would save you from potentially spending another night at home alone. 

"Fine," Hopper sighed before he moved to grab his keys. "I have to head to the station. Do you guys need a ride to the pool?" 

You were quick to agree, knowing that it would save time. 

You waited at the kitchen table as El left to pack a bag for the night, avoiding looking at Hopper since you couldn't help but feel like if you so much as met his eyes, then he would know something was up. You didn't want to pull Hopper into anything unless you absolutely had to and as far as you knew, this wasn't anything to necessarily worry about. You hoped digging yourself deeper into denial wouldn't come back to bite you in the ass later. 

Sitting in the passenger seat of the cruiser, you listened to Max and El chatting in the backseat. You were happy that El was getting a chance to hang out with friends and have fun for once. You had spent most of your formative years being poked and prodded by scientists. You still remembered Brenner studying you as he tested your powers, a calculating and cold look in his eyes. You shivered at the thought, hating that even now, the thought of the man who claimed to be your father still chilled you to your core. 

"You alright?" Hopper asked, glancing over at you. "How are things with you and that Hargrove kid?" 

You shrugged your shoulders. "We're fine. Everything's fine," you said, hoping to brush off the subject. You were distantly aware of Max and El quieting down in the back, obviously listening to the conversation between you and Hopper. 

"He still treating you okay?" 

You bit your lip, knowing that if you told Hopper you had no idea where Billy was, then he would never want to give him a chance again. You hoped that by the end of the day, everything would be straightened out and you would know one way or the other if you still had a relationship with Billy to tell Hopper about. If it turned out to be a huge misunderstanding, then you didn't want to give Hopper a reason to not like Billy. Hopper was the closest thing to a father you had and you wanted him to like your boyfriend. 

"He is," you answered, your tone soft as you glanced out the window. You were glad to see that you were almost to the pool. 

Hopper pulled up to the curb in front of Hawkins Community Pool and turned to look at you. "Please promise me you'll be careful." 

You knew what he wasn't saying. He still didn't like the thought of El being out in public for too long. You knew that he worried that if he turned his back for even one second, then someone would take her away from him. 

"I promise," you told Hopper. "She's safe with me." 

Hopper nodded his head and then turned to say goodbye to El as you got out of the cruiser. 

By the time you were standing in front of the gates to the Hawkins pool, you felt unsure about the plan. There was a part of you that almost didn't want to ask about the lifeguard whistle and kit you'd found at the Hargrove home. You weren't sure that if you tugged on this thread, then it wouldn't unravel everything. 

El reached out to put a hand on your shoulder, offering you a small smile, before she walked towards the gates. You followed her and Max to the front, where there was a guy you vaguely recognized manning the counter. 

"Hey," Max called, getting his attention. "We were wondering if you could help us." 

The guy raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't try to send her away. 

Max pulled the whistle, now clean, and kit from the bag she'd brought with her. "We found these and were wondering if you could tell us who they belong to." 

The guy frowned at them. "Yeah, I think that's Heather's," he said. "How did you end up with them?" 

"Is she here?" El asked, leaning forward. "We want to give them back." 

"No, she hasn't been in today. She was supposed to, but I haven't seen her." 

You shared a look with Max and El, knowing that the possibility of El being wrong was getting further away by the moment. 

You thanked the guy at the counter, ignoring the way he checked you out, before turning to El and Max. You led them both away, glancing around to make sure there wasn't anyone around who would hear you. 

"So, what do we do now?" 

"I can look for Heather," El offered. "I just need a picture of her to focus on." 

"What about this?" Max asked, pulling something down from the bulletin board a couple of feet away from where you were standing. She held up a picture of a group of lifeguards. "Will this work?" 

El took the picture from her, studying it as she searched for Heather. You figured El spotted her in the picture, since she nodded her head in agreement. 

Using the shower room was the easiest option, so you made sure that it was clear before you waved Max and El inside, turning the lock on the door behind you. 

You helped Max turn on all of the showers as El held onto the photo, studying it intently. You watched as she sat down on the floor while Max went to guard the door, making sure you weren't interrupted. El pulled a strip of cloth from her pocket, the photo resting in her lap. 

"Do you carry that with you everywhere?" You couldn't help but ask. 

El nodded her head, not bothering to speak, as she wrapped the cloth around her eyes. You wished that you had volunteered to go with her, but you knew it would probably be best if she went alone this once. You still reached out to put your hand on her shoulder, hoping to lend as much support as you could. 

El tensed, but then eased into the touch, her breathing going steady. You felt a rush and knew somehow that she was successfully in the Void, your power seeming to somehow respond to El's. 

It felt like a lifetime before El ripped the cloth away from her face, reaching up to hastily wipe away the blood under nose. "I saw her," she said as she glanced at you over her shoulder. "She asked me to help her." 

Max came forward, a frown on her face. "Help her?" 

"She seemed scared," El said. "I think we need to find her." El looked disturbed by whatever she had found in the Void, but she didn’t offer any more information. 

You nodded down at the picture. "You know where she is?" 

"There was a house with a red door," El said. She considered the photo in her hand before finally nodding. "I can get us there. Let's go," she decided. 

You were quick to turn off the showers and followed Max and El outside. The sky was growing dark, the threat of rain evident as you looked up at the storm clouds. Max and El both had windbreakers, but you weren't so fortunate. By the time you found yourself standing outside of a house with a red door, a mailbox at the end of the yard proclaiming it belonged to the Holloway family, you were soaked. 

You glanced around as Max and El walked up to the front door, feeling your heartbeat stutter in your chest at the sight of Billy's car parked at the curb. "He's here," you whispered to yourself, before you turned and hurried towards the front door. 

El didn't bother to knock, instead opting to use her powers to fling the front door open. 

"El," you hissed. "You couldn't have tried knocking?" 

You heard footsteps coming towards the front door and when you glanced up, you gasped at the sight of Billy standing there in the entryway. He wasn't hurt. He wasn't bleeding out on the side of the road or in the hospital. He was standing right in front of you and he seemed fine. You felt confused as you watched an older couple step into the room, both of them looking at you, Max, and El with unease. You were sure you weren't making the best impression on the couple since you were currently dripping water all over their entryway, but you didn't care. You wanted to rush forward and pull Billy into your arms, but something wasn't quite right. 

"Billy," you breathed, wanting to reach out to him. 

He turned a grin on you. It was a little too wide. A little too sharp. You couldn't help but think that something was wrong just at the sight of him. “Yes?” 

You shivered and wrapped your arms around yourself, wishing that you had known to bring an umbrella or something that would have kept the rain off of you. Billy wasn’t even looking at you anymore, his attention fleeting as he turned to murmur something to the couple. The smile on his face seemed fake. He was being too nice. Too forced. 

"Where were you?" You had to ask. You had to know that the worry had been worth it. 

Billy tilted his head to the side as he regarded you again. "I'm not sure what you mean." 

"Who are these people, Billy?" The woman asked, staring at you, Max, and El as if she wasn't sure she appreciated having the three of you in her home. 

"This is Maxine," Billy said, gesturing to Max. "My sister," he clarified. "And this is Y/N. She's my friend," he said, not even bothering to look at you. 

"Friend?" You asked, confused. You were definitely more than a friend. 

"Where's Heather?" El asked, her tone serious. You turned to see that she was glaring at Billy. 

"I'm sorry?" Billy said, flashing El a grin. It was a little too polite, you couldn't help but think. This wasn't the Billy you knew. The Billy you knew wouldn't have seemed so genial. He would have made some smartass remark by now or at least _looked_ at you. Instead, he was giving most of his attention to the couple, only sparing occasional glances for Max or El. "I'm not sure why my sister showed up," he said as he looked at the couple. "I apologize Mr. and Mrs. Holloway for their intrusion." 

"Where is she?" El asked again, taking a threatening step towards Billy. "What did you do to her?" 

"I didn't do anything to anyone," Billy said as he raised his hands, tilting his head to the side as he offered El a sharp grin. "Just having dinner with these nice folks." 

It was then that a girl came out of the kitchen, carrying a bottle of what you assumed was wine and four glasses. 

"Heather," El breathed, her eyes going wide for a moment in surprise. “I thought you were hurt.” 

Heather didn't look like Billy had attacked her. She had a pleased smile on her face as she set the glasses and bottle of wine on the table near the door. She sidled up to Billy, linking her arm with his. You felt your breath hitch at the sight, wondering if Max had been right all along. 

“She wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so I took her home,” Billy explained. “Is that what you’re talking about?” 

"Yes. Billy has been so great to Heather," the woman answered, his brow raising in confusion as she looked at El. "How do you know our daughter?" 

"They don't," Billy assured. "I'm sure it's all just some kind of misunderstanding." He flashed Heather's parents a grin, the one he used when he was trying to charm someone. 

"Well," Heather's mom started, still staring at the three of you uncertainly. "If your sister wants to stay, then we can make room. It might be nice to get to know the family of Heather's new boyfriend." 

You froze and looked at Billy, waiting for him to deny it. He didn't, though. He turned to put his arm around Heather's waist, placing a kiss to her temple. Heather grinned up at him, her expression affectionate. 

You suddenly felt sick to your stomach. You didn't know what the hell was going on, but this wasn't right. Billy wouldn't abandon you just to go to some other girl. He would have at least had the decency to break up with you first. He had changed, you told yourself. He was no longer the arrogant and cocky smartass that had hit on you immediately after meeting you. The Billy in front of you now was not the one you knew so intimately. 

"On second thought, we should go," Max grumbled. She grabbed your arm and turned you away towards the front door. "You don't need to see that," she told you. "What an asshole." 

You glanced over your shoulder, hoping to see some sign from Billy that this was all some horrible joke. Instead, you found El staring Billy down, both of them sharing a look you didn't quite understand. You understood why El was furious, since she was so sure that Billy had been hurting Heather and that the Mind Flayer was back to wreak havoc on Hawkins yet again. Instead, the three of you had found Billy with a new girl and acting like the perfect boyfriend for someone else. 

What you didn't understand, though, as Max steered you out of Heather's house, was why Billy looked so angry with El.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My kind of headcanon for the scene with Billy is that he's actively trying not to focus on the reader, because he knows that the Mind Flayer could use him against the reader and doesn't want to put the reader in danger. But The Sauna Test episode is the focus of the next chapter, so of course that's all going to get screwed up.
> 
> If you're enjoying this, then letting me know would make my day. Thank you to anyone who leaves comments, kudos, or bookmarks this fic. You guys are the best. ♥
> 
> If you're interested in reader inserts for Walking Dead or The Umbrella Academy, then please feel free to check out my other fics. ♥


	6. I'd Like To Be Waiting With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Canon violence in this chapter. This is the chapter based on The Sauna Test.

You walked with El and Max to Max's house. You were lost in thought, thinking about Billy and his supposed relationship with Heather. The more you thought about it, the more you couldn't believe that Billy had simply been out cheating on you. You knew that Billy loved you. You knew that if he was going to leave you, then it wouldn't be something he hid from you. After everything, he respected you enough to at least let you know he was going to leave you. There was sharp, twisting feeling in your chest that felt a lot like jealousy, though. You hated seeing Billy with another girl. Even though Max had tried to comfort you, you still didn't feel any better about the situation. 

Once you got to the Hargrove house, you didn't want to be left alone. You knew that if you were left by yourself, then you would spend all night thinking about the way Billy had wrapped his arm around Heather and had barely given you any consideration. You would think about the way he dismissed you as nothing more than a _friend_. 

"Hey, Max?" You called, already deciding on what you wanted to do. 

"Yeah?" She said, turning to look at you. She was already almost to the front door of her house, El not far behind her. You were the only one potentially unwelcome in this situation and you really hoped you hadn't worn out your welcome with the girls. 

"Can I spend the night?" You asked, hoping you didn't sound too pathetic. 

"Yeah, sure," Max quickly agreed with a shrug of her shoulders. "Meet me at my bedroom window. I'll sneak you in." 

You felt relief as you watched Max and El enter the Hargrove household. You crept around the side of the house and waited at Max's window, glancing around to make sure that you weren't spotted. By the time Max pushed her window open and beckoned you inside her room, you felt exhausted. After searching for Billy, being worried about him constantly, and dealing with your earlier confrontation with him, you felt drained. 

As you lowered yourself into Max's room, you couldn't help but miss Billy. You wanted to go to bed with his arms wrapped around you and feeling his warmth against your back. You wanted him so much in that moment that you could hardly think. 

"Need me to get you a sleeping bag?" Max asked, gesturing towards her closet. 

You bit your lip, shaking your head. "Do you think I could sleep in Billy's bed?" 

"I guess it's okay," Max said. "I don't think my mom or Neil will go in there." 

“Are you sure?” El asked, her head tilted to the side as she considered you. 

“Yeah,” you answered. “I’ll be okay.” 

El frowned at you, but then seemed to let the issue go. “I’ll be here if you need me,” she offered with a small smile. 

You nodded your head, thankful that she wasn't going to question you. You just wanted to feel close to Billy again, even if it was for a moment. 

Max was on lookout for you as you snuck into Billy's room. You shot her a grateful smile across the hallway before you closed the door. You turned and slid to the floor, your hands coming up to rub at your eyes. You felt hollow inside. Billy had been there for you every day for months. You knew you loved him. You knew that if you could, then you would spend every day of the rest of your life with him. But Billy wasn't with you and there was a chance that he would never be with you again. 

You wished in that moment that if you couldn't have Billy, then you could at least talk to Steve. Steve was your best friend and while you had always been able to go to him with anything, you didn't know how you would explain this to him. If Steve found out that Billy was apparently cheating on you with Heather Holloway, then you knew that Steve would attempt to kick Billy's ass. You didn't want them fighting. You didn't want two of the most important people in your life at odds. Besides, if Billy really was being influenced by something evil in Hawkins, then Steve wouldn't stand a chance. The best option, you couldn't help but think, was to keep Steve away from danger. 

Besides, you knew that Billy wasn't cheating on you. Whether it was gut instinct or some kind of extension of your power, you knew that Billy was in danger and you needed to save him. 

You pushed yourself to your feet and moved to sit down on the edge of Billy's bed. You glanced around his room as you tried to notice if there was anything different about it since the last time you had been there. Billy had been there recently based on what you found in his bathroom earlier, but you still couldn’t spot anything out of the ordinary. 

If there was something evil lurking in Hawkins, then there was every chance that it was going to come after the people you had come to care for and love. You couldn't help but think that your power would only do so much. You wished that you had something as useful as El's power. Moving things and killing things with your mind would probably really help against something like the Mind Flayer. Your power would only come into play if someone got injured or needed to be put to sleep. You needed to fight, though. You wouldn't let El face the monster alone and you wouldn't let anyone else get hurt. 

You thought back to opening the door to Hopper's cabin with your mind. It was the first time you had successfully managed to imitate El's power. You wondered if you should keep trying to use the power, hoping that by the time you really needed to step in and help El, that you would actually be of use. 

You glanced around Billy's room and noticed a tennis ball that had rolled under the dresser. You leaned forward and grabbed it, staring at it for a few moments. You tossed the ball into the air and caught it, repeating the action over and over as you got used to the weight of it in your hand. 

You concentrated on the movement of the ball, trying to stop it from hitting your hand as it came down each time. It took you ten minutes to halt the ball in the air before it dropped into your palm. You smirked to yourself, not bothering to wipe away the blood that was starting to pour down your face. 

By the time you were starting to sway on the edge of the bed, you had mastered tossing the tennis ball with just your mind. You didn't even have to use your hands to move it about in the air. You glanced at the clock to see that it was almost four in the morning. You knew that if you were going to be facing any kind of threats in the coming days, then you would have to recharge. A part of you wanted to keep pushing yourself, but another part really wanted to rest. You sighed and finally let the tennis ball drop to the floor as you got up and moved into the bathroom. 

You looked at your reflection in the mirror above the sink and flinched at the sight of the blood that had dried on your face. You knew that you had pushed yourself likely too far, but you couldn't help but think that if it saved Billy and everyone you loved, then you would do whatever it took. If that meant you had to push yourself to the edge or over it to protect them, then you would. 

You tried not to tip over on your feet, feeling unsteady for a moment. You had to reach out to grip the edges of the sink to keep yourself upright. You took a deep breath before you met your eyes in the mirror again. You wondered what Billy was doing in that moment. Was he with Heather? Was he hurting? Was he even thinking about you? You weren't sure how long you stood there, staring at your reflection and thinking about Billy, before you finally snapped out of your daze. 

You managed to clean yourself up, finally trudging back into Billy's room once you were done. You collapsed on his bed after toeing off your shoes and stared up at the ceiling of his room. 

You knew you should leave well enough alone and get some rest, but you still found yourself concentrating on the tennis ball again. You held a hand out, willing for it to come to you. After a few moments, the tennis ball flew into your grip and you grinned as you pulled it to your chest. You rolled over, staring at the wall, before you finally managed to drift off to sleep. 

When you woke in the morning, it was to the sound of someone knocking lightly on the door. You thought for one silly moment that everything was fine. You thought it was a normal morning and you had fallen asleep in Billy's bed, but it only took you a few moments to realize that everything had been flipped upside down. Billy wasn't there. You weren't home. Billy hadn't lived in this house for a long time. 

"Y/N?" You heard Max call. "You awake?" 

"Yeah," you answered, groaning as you sat up. Your head hurt and you had to squint in order to tolerate looking around the room. "Give me a second." 

You sighed and pushed yourself out of bed, noticing that the tennis ball had rolled onto the floor at some point during the night. You bit your lip, considering it for a second, before you held out your hand. There was almost no hesitation before it was back in your hand. You grinned to yourself, feeling like you were finally managing to get somewhere with stretching your power, before you opened the door to Billy's bedroom. 

Max and El were standing there waiting for you. 

"What's going on?" You asked, glancing up and down the hallway. You hoped that you were the only ones in the house, since you really didn't want to have to encounter Neil Hargrove. 

El frowned at you and gestured towards her nose. "You're bleeding." 

"Oh," you said, reaching up to hastily wipe the blood away. "Sorry about that." 

Max glanced around Billy's room, but didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. "What were you doing?" 

You shook your head. "Doesn't matter. What's going on?" You repeated, hoping that they had some kind of news for you. 

"Party meeting," El answered. 

"We're going to Mike's house. You coming with us?" 

"Yeah," you agreed. You glanced around Billy's room before you moved to your shoes at the foot of the bed. You pulled them back on, sparing a glance for the tennis ball you had dropped to the floor just seconds ago. You knew you didn't need it to keep practicing your power, but you still felt like you shouldn't leave it behind. You grabbed it and tucked it into the pocket of your pants as you followed Max and El outside. 

By the time you got to the Wheeler house, you were ready to drop onto the nearest available surface and take a nap. You knew that you probably wouldn't get a chance to rest any time soon, but you couldn't help but long for Billy's bed. It was the closest you had felt to him since your fight and you wished you could have had at least another hour in it. But if something was truly wrong, then you knew that all the sleep in the world wouldn't help you if there was something terrorizing Hawkins again. 

You followed Max and El down to the Wheeler basement, noticing that Lucas, Mike, and Will were already waiting there. 

"What's she doing here?" Mike asked, gesturing at you. 

"She's been with us. Problem?" Max said, crossing her arms. 

"No." Lucas cut in, shaking his head. "No problem. Be cool," he hissed at Mike, elbowing him in the side. 

"She's not in the party. Right now, we have a party problem," Mike said, ignoring Lucas. 

"She's El's sister. Don't you think this problem would be better solved with more superpowers and not less?" Max pointed out. 

"She stays," El added, tilting her head up to stare down Mike. "She's part of us." 

Mike rolled his eyes, opening his mouth to say something else. 

"The Mind Flayer is back," Will abruptly announced, cutting off whatever Mike was about to say. He looked nervous as he regarded everyone in the room. "I've felt his presence. I don't know how, but he's still here." 

"But I closed the gate," El protested, moving to sit near Will on the couch. "I locked it away. How is it still here?" 

Will shook his head. "I have a theory," he said, glancing down at where he had his hands clasped in his lap. "I think it's the part of the Mind Flayer that was inside of me. I don't think it returned in time and it's been stuck here on this side of the gate with us." He took a deep breath, reaching up to rub at the back of his neck. "I know it's here," he said as he glanced around at the group. He looked uneasy, as if he thought that someone would argue with him. 

"So what is it doing now?" Max asked, worry evident in her tone. She shared a quick look with you and El. You knew what she suspected, which was what you and El had already feared. To have the Mind Flayer's presence in Hawkins confirmed only made you worry more about Billy's strange behavior. 

"I think it found a new host," Will explained. "We just don't know who it found." 

"Billy," you answered. "It found Billy." 

"But what does it want with Billy?" Max asked. She shook her head. "It could be something else," she tried to suggest, but you knew from the look on her face that she was scared that it was all true. 

"That's what we'll have to figure out," Mike said. "We need to find out if the Mind Flayer really took him." 

A plan was made to find Billy and watch him for signs of possession. You weren't sure that simply watching him and not interacting with him would actually give you any clues, but you were going to trust the party for now. They had already fought the Mind Flayer and if you wanted a shot at getting Billy back to normal, then you were going to have to follow the lead of the party. 

Crouched in the bushes just on the other side of the fence from Hawkins Community Pool was not what you had in mind. You watched Billy sitting in his lifeguard chair, wishing that you could go up to him and talk to him. You had so many questions for him. But if he really was possessed by the Mind Flayer, then there was every chance that you wouldn't really be talking to him. 

"He seems fine to me," Max muttered. You glanced at her to see she was watching her step-brother with concern. You knew that out of everyone else in the party, Max was the only one who truly hoped that nothing bad happened to Billy. You knew about his turbulent history with the party and while he didn't have the strongest relationship with Max, you also knew that he had been working on being a better brother to Max. 

"He's wearing a shirt. Does that seem fine to you?" Mike said, frowning at Billy. 

"Yeah. The guy's basically allergic to clothes," Lucas added, a slight grin on his face. Max elbowed him in the side and he shot her a frown. 

"He seems normal now, but he's not. The Mind Flayer doesn't need him right now, so he's letting Billy live his life. He's dormant for now, but who knows how long that will last?" Will looked paler than usual, his expression betraying just how terrified he must have been at the thought of the Mind Flayer back to wreak havoc on everyone. 

"When you were possessed, you said he liked it cold, right?" Mike piped up, studying Billy. 

Will nodded his head. "Heat drew him out. He likes it best in the cold and dark." 

Mike stood and glanced around, his gaze focusing on the locker rooms. "Guys, I've got an idea." 

A few hours later, you were shaking your head as you considered the party. "I don't like this," you muttered. If this went like Mike wanted it to, then Billy would be in pain. Will told you all about how heat had made the Mind Flayer distressed. He had detailed for you how the Mind Flayer had been forced out of him the year before with heat and fire. You didn't want Billy to suffer, but you also knew that if the possession continued, then the Mind Flayer would only gain a stronger hold of Billy. 

"Noted," Mike grunted as he worked to help El set up the CPR dummy that was going to be used to bait Billy. "But we need to be sure that the Mind Flayer is the culprit this time. And this is the best test we've got." 

You sighed and turned away, noticing Max sitting on a bench and scowling down at the tiled floor. You moved to sit beside her, nudging her with your elbow. "Hey," you said, drawing her attention to you. 

Max glanced at you, her expression morphing to one of worry. "What if it's true, Y/N? What do we do?" 

You shrugged your shoulders, knowing there was only one answer you were willing to give. "We'll save him. We'll get the Mind Flayer out of him." 

Max blew out a frustrated breath, going back to scowling down at the floor. "But what if we can't? What if we're too late?" 

You knew that she was scared for Billy. Hell, you were terrified for him. If the Mind Flayer didn't let go of him, then there was every possibility that you would never get him back. You couldn't let that happen. You knew that you would do whatever it took to free him, even if it meant putting yourself in harm's way. You reached out to put a hand on Max's arm, waiting until she glanced up at you. "I'm going to do whatever it takes, okay? I'm not going to let it take him from us," you promised. 

She considered you for a few moments before she nodded her head. "Because you love him?" 

You didn't even really have to think about your answer. You hadn't been able to tell Billy the words, but you knew you felt them. If you had it your way, then he would hear them from you sooner rather than later. "Yes," you answered. "Because I love him." 

Max seemed mollified by your words. She sighed and finally pushed herself up off the bench. She then turned and reached a hand out to you, helping you off the bench. "Okay. I trust you." 

You smiled at her, hoping it didn't betray just how freaked out you really felt in that moment. If Mike's plan failed, and Billy really was possessed by the Mind Flayer, then someone was probably about to get hurt. You could use your power, sure, but if the Mind Flayer saw fit to turn Billy into a killer, then you weren't sure if you would be much help. 

As you waited in the dark, you tried to keep yourself calm. It was hard to watch Billy stalk into the sauna and not reach out to him. It was even more difficult to watch El lock him inside and hear Billy crying out in confusion and fear. 

"Let me out, you little shits!" He screamed, banging his fist against the door to the sauna. "Max!" He called when he saw her through the window on the door. His eyes landed on you and his expression went from confusion to worry. "Y/N," he said. "Please don't do this to me." 

You glanced at Max and shared a look, knowing that you were both struggling to go through with the plan. Finally, Max took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Turn up the heat," she said, taking a step closer to you. 

You wrapped your arms around yourself as you heard Billy cursing and screaming, his breathing labored as he tried to get out of the sauna. Finally, you heard him choke out a breath before it sounded like he was crying. 

"I didn't want to do it!" He yelled, causing you to flinch when you realized you had been slowly getting closer to the door. Max was beside you, her eyes wide as she listened to Billy's words. "I didn't want to hurt you, Y/N," he got out on a sob. "I wanted to come home to you, baby, but I couldn't." You heard him suck in a harsh breath and you felt your heart break at the sound of Billy in so much agony. "It's like this giant shadow. He makes me do things and I don't want to do them. I try to fight him, but he's got me." You didn't hear anything as you slowly got closer to the door with Max, finally chancing a peak into the sauna. Max reached out to grab your wrist, her fingers wrapped tight enough that you winced. "I'm sorry," you heard Billy breathe out as he rocked himself back and forth on the floor of the sauna. 

You heard Will gasp and glanced back at him to see his fingers at the back of his neck. "He's here," he whispered, fear overtaking him enough that you could see his hands shaking. "He has control of Billy now." 

"Y/N! Max! Get away from the door!" Mike warned just as you felt yourself be pulled to the floor by Max. 

There was the sound of glass breaking and you glanced up to see Billy trying to reach through the window on the sauna door, his hand reaching out for anything he could grab. "Let me the fuck out of here!" He roared, his face twisted into a feral expression. You scrambled back to your feet, pulling Max with you as you heard Billy continue to yell. 

"Get back!" Lucas shouted before he used his slingshot on Billy. Billy was hit in the face and he collapsed back into the sauna. You heard Billy scream as the lights began to flicker. You glanced up at the lights, panting for breath as you tried to control your fear. 

Billy continued screaming as you backed away from the door, trying your best to herd the others across the room, until the sound abruptly cut off. You wondered for a moment if he had passed out but then his face was back in the broken window of the sauna door. You were taken aback by the crazed look in his eyes and the black lines that had appeared on his skin. 

"You're going to regret that," he spat before he started attacking the door. 

You felt your breath leave you at the sight of the door slowly coming down. 

"Behind me," you snapped at the party, knowing that if it came down to it, you would protect them with your life. You didn't want to fight Billy, but it looked like you wouldn't have much of a choice in the matter. 

"Behind us," El amended just as Billy broke through the door. She stepped to your side and held her hand out, using her power to slam Billy back into the wall. 

You flinched and turned back to the party. "You need to get out of here," you told them. You were going to start trying to usher them out of the room, knowing that the Mind Flayer was too strong for them, before you felt yourself pushed to the side. 

You fell to the floor just as Billy rushed at El. You were surprised that he had managed to break her hold and wondered about the true strength of the Mind Flayer. You struggled to get up off the floor, realizing that El had been the one to shove you in an attempt to protect you. 

Billy wrapped a hand around El's throat and lifted her off the floor. You noticed her face go red and then almost purple as she tried to pull in a breath around Billy's hold. Billy bared his teeth at her, an expression of triumph on his face. 

You heard the party yelling, but you could barely focus. You rushed at Billy, hoping to knock him over, but he reached out with his other hand and pushed you back down. You gasped when you hit the floor a second time, the breath knocked out of you. 

"Try to lift this, motherfucker!" You heard Mike yell before he hit Billy across the back of his head with a weight. 

Billy abruptly let go of El, reaching up to clutch at the back of his head. El was coughing and struggling to pull in a breath on the floor, her arms shaking as she tried to keep from collapsing to the floor. You only had a moment to notice Billy turn towards Mike, his lip lifted in a snarl. You suddenly remembered the tennis ball in your pocket and wrapped your fingers around it. You hurled it at Billy’s face, feeling relief when he took a startled step away from Mike. You used Billy's moment of distraction to push yourself up from the floor and hurried to put yourself between Billy and Mike. 

Billy hesitated at the sight of you in front of him. For a moment, you swore you could see the Mind Flayer's grasp on Billy loosen. He raised a hand, as if moving to push you aside again or wrap his hand around your throat. 

"What are you going to do? You going to kill me, Billy?" You couldn't help but ask, knowing that if the Mind Flayer had its way, then all of you would be dead soon. You swayed closer to Billy, ignoring Mike's noise of protest. "You're going to have to if you want to get anywhere near these kids." 

The air was eerily still with tension as you confronted Billy. Lucas, Will, and Max had the good sense to stay out of the way, pressed against the wall as they watched you face Billy. You were vaguely aware of El moving to sit up and Mike's presence at your back, but you saved most of your focus for the man in front of you. 

"You're in my way," Billy snarled, his face twisted up with rage and determination. He didn’t move towards you, though. It looked like he was struggling to stay in place and you hoped that Billy was fighting the hold the Mind Flayer had on him. 

You held up your hands, trying to show him that you weren't going to attack him. "I'm not going to fight you." 

"Good," Billy said, looking oddly relieved for one moment. You knew in that moment that the Mind Flayer might have been using Billy, but he was still present. You were talking to Billy as much as you were the Mind Flayer now. 

"I want you to take me to him," you told him, ignoring the shouts of the party at your words. 

Billy blinked, swaying on his feet, before he shook his head. "What?" He snapped, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What did you say?" 

You dared to take a step closer to Billy, still keeping your hands raised in a gesture of surrender. "Take me to him, Billy. He doesn't want you. He wants someone powerful. That's me. He can have me if he lets you go. I just want to trade one hostage for another." You took another step closer to him. You felt Mike reach out to tug on the back of your shirt in warning, but you ignored him. 

"Y/N, no," Billy breathed. He looked heartbroken for a moment, as if he couldn't stand the thought of you giving yourself up to save him. You had one moment to think that you had gotten through to Billy before his expression shuttered and he closed his eyes. When he opened them, the look he gave you was cold and detached. "It's probably another trick," he growled before he moved to lunge towards you. 

You heard El yell before Billy was thrown the wall of the locker room. You gasped as you watched him land outside, his body crumpled on the ground. You felt Mike rush past you to pull El into his arms. When you glanced at her, you noticed she was panting, obviously drained, and glaring at you. 

"I had to, El," you told her before you glanced outside again. You noticed that Billy had pushed himself up and was stumbling away. You moved to take a step towards the hole in the wall, intent on following after Billy, but you felt a hand on your arm tug you back. 

You glanced back to see Max staring at you with wide eyes. She shook her head. "Don't risk it," she told you, her grip on your arm tightening as if she was worried you would fight her. 

You sighed and looked back outside to see that Billy was gone. "Shit," you hissed before you pulled away from Max and turned your back on the party. You couldn't help but feel disappointed that you had missed your opportunity to save Billy. In that moment, you weren't sure if you were more upset that Billy had left again or that he didn't take you with him. 

You felt a hand on your arm again and glanced over to see it was El. There were marks forming on her throat and she still had blood trickling down her face. "We won’t give up. We can try again," she promised before she pulled you into a hug. 

You sighed and placed your hand on her neck, seeking to heal the bruises Billy had left behind. "I'm sorry," you told her, not sure what you were really apologizing for. That your boyfriend was possessed by a creature from another dimension and had tried to kill her? That you had tried to sacrifice yourself to get him back? You didn't know, but you had a sick feeling in your gut that whatever lay ahead of you all would only bring more pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any love shown for this fic is greatly appreciated. It's starting to feel like I'm just writing this for myself. 😂 Thank you to anyone who comments, leaves kudos, or bookmarks this fic. Y'all help keep this going. ❤
> 
> If you're interested in reader inserts for The Walking Dead or The Umbrella Academy, then please feel free to check out my other fics.


	7. And the Nights, They Last Forever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're all doing well. It's such a scary time right now. Please take the proper precautions and take care of yourselves. ♥ 
> 
> Thank you for any love shown for this fic. Y'all help keep this going. ♥

You kept to yourself on the way back to the Wheeler house. You were aware of the others talking about trying to get some kind of plan in place, but you felt like you were in a daze. You felt guilty for offering yourself up to the Mind Flayer, because you didn't want to leave El alone and you were technically the only adult with the party. Although, the party had more than proved to be capable of taking care of themselves. Still, if you had traded yourself for Billy, then that would have left El without you and Hopper. Besides, there was no guarantee that the Mind Flayer would have actually let Billy go. It had been a stupid and reckless plan, but you were still a little more than disappointed that it didn't work. 

You missed Billy so fiercely that you could hardly think. For a moment in the sauna, he had looked so scared. You'd rarely seen him so vulnerable and you hated the Mind Flayer for doing that to him. Billy was in pain. He was terrified and being forced to carry out the plans of a monster. You wanted to pull him away from the influence of the Mind Flayer, but you weren't sure how you would do that. 

Once you were back in the Wheeler basement, you sat on the corner of the couch, not really paying attention to what was going on, as you thought about everything that just happened. 

Billy obviously needed help. But how could you get anywhere near him when the Mind Flayer was using him as a puppet? The second you got too close, Billy would be taken away from you and you would be facing off against the monster just beneath your boyfriend's skin. You had to find a way to talk to Billy without the threat of the Mind Flayer looming over the both of you. 

If you could find out where the Mind Flayer was staying, then maybe you could attack it. At this point, you figured the best form of defense was attack, but only as long as no one you cared about got hurt. 

"Y/N?" 

You glanced up to see El watching you expectantly. "Sorry," you said. "What's going on?" 

"I'm going to look for Hopper," she explained, holding up the strip of cloth she usually carried with her. "Want to go with me?" 

You shook your head, offering her a smile. "I'll let you take this one," you said, hoping you weren't giving away just how shaken you still were from your earlier encounter with Billy and the Mind Flayer. You still felt a bit unbalanced and while you usually would have jumped at the opportunity to enter the Void, you wanted just a few more moments to yourself to think. 

You waited for El to dip into the Void before you drifted in your thoughts again. You thought about the tennis ball you'd left behind in the locker room of Hawkins Community Pool. You wished you had it, because you wanted to keep practicing on expanding your power. You knew there was a fight coming up. You weren't sure when it would happen or where, but the fate of Hawkins was at stake yet again. You needed to find a way to make yourself useful before it was too late. 

"Hey, Mike?" You called, gaining his attention from where he had been staring intently at El. 

"Yeah?" He barely took his focus away from El, shooting you a frown. 

"Do you have a tennis ball?" 

Mike's nose scrunched up as he finally turned to look at you, confusion evident from his expression. "What? Why?" 

"Just point one out to me. I'll show you." You were nervous, wondering if you'd even be able to pull the same trick again, but you wanted to keep stretching your power. Unless you were powerful enough to send the Mind Flayer to sleep, you needed to train yourself to help El when the time came. 

Mike sighed and glanced around, finally getting up to rummage through a box under the stairs. He let out a noise of triumph and held up a tennis ball. He moved to hand it to you, but you shook your head. 

"Put it on the table. Please," you added, when you saw him open his mouth to likely protest or question you. 

He rolled his eyes and set it on the table. You noticed the rest of the party, except for El, were all watching you in confusion and bewilderment. If this worked, then it would answer a few of their questions. 

You held your hand out, focusing on the tennis ball. It was different from the one in Billy's room, but that didn't matter. This one had a bit more grime on it and looked more worn. This one looked like it had been used often and then packed away in the basement when it was no longer needed. Maybe it was forgotten there until it was needed again. It was needed now. You pulled on it with your power, putting all of your focus into it. 

You let out a sigh of relief when the ball flew into your hand. 

"What the fuck?" Lucas yelled, jumping up from his seat. 

"Shit!" Mike shouted, his eyes wide as he looked from you to the table and then to the ball in your outstretched hand. 

Max leaned forward in her seat, staring at you in fascination. 

Will was quiet, but he looked impressed when you glanced at him. You winked at him, absently wiping away the blood that was beginning to pool beneath your nose. 

"When did you learn how to do that?" Mike asked, almost managing to sound offended that you hadn't bothered to share with them your new grasp on powers that had previously been unknown to you. 

"El and I have been training each other," you offered with a shrug of your shoulders. 

You noticed El pull the blindfold off and wipe the blood away from her nose. "They're in Ill-annoy." 

"Illinois," Mike automatically corrected, a frown on his face. "What the hell are they doing there?" 

You couldn't help but think that even though Joyce and Hopper were no longer in the state, they were likely still mixed up in the problems Hawkins was facing. Although, you weren't sure what was going on in Illinois. If they were on their own mission, then did that leave it up to the rest of you to defeat the Mind Flayer? 

You felt such anger at the thought of the Mind Flayer. You thought about everything Kali had told you over the years about harnessing your rage and hurt in order to gain control over your power. You'd never needed it, though. Your power had always come from a place of love and caring. You didn't want the people you cared about to get hurt, so your power did its best to heal them. Now, though, all you felt was an overwhelming need to take the Mind Flayer and rip it apart. Whether you accomplished it with your mind or just your hands, you didn't care. You would see the end of it. 

"Forget that," Lucas piped up. "Does El know what you can do, Y/N?" 

El glanced at you, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What you can do?" She repeated, trusting you to elaborate. 

"Catch," you told her with a smirk, sending the tennis ball flying towards her only using your mind. 

She stopped it just before it would have hit her face and let it drop to the floor. "You've been practicing," she said, sounding pleased. 

"I can't do what you can, but hopefully it will be enough." 

El sighed and stood up. "It has to be," she responded before she turned and walked to the bathroom door. 

You watched as Max followed after El. Mike's shoulders hunched as he turned to Lucas. "Your girlfriend is conspiring against me," he hissed, nodding over towards where Max was obviously checking on El. 

"You don't know that," Lucas protested. "You just have to take things slow now. You screwed up and now you have to grovel. Max is always making me grovel and it usually works," he offered with a shrug of his shoulders. 

You rolled your eyes and shook your head, pulling the tennis ball back into your hand with barely a thought. "Word of advice," you started, moving the ball in the air with your mind. "I would start with a sincere apology," you told Mike, glancing at him, but keeping most of your focus on the tennis ball. "Let her know you care about her, but don't seem like you're only apologizing so she'll forgive you. You have to mean it." 

Mike narrowed his eyes at you, considering for a moment. He sighed and nodded his head. "Got it." He turned away, watching the bathroom door again. 

You were sure Mike was at least going to try to follow your advice, but you weren't sure if he would manage it. He did come off as pretty awkward when he was trying to be sincere, but you figured El must have liked Mike's style. 

You heard Will clear his throat before he moved to sit beside you on the couch. 

"How are you able to imitate El's power? Does that mean she would be able to learn how to heal?" 

"Honestly? I don't know for sure. I'm lucky I figured this out," you said as you nodded towards the tennis ball. "I can't reach the Void by myself yet, though. And El hasn't been able to figure out healing. But if we keep working at it, then I'm sure it's possible." 

Will considered you for a moment, watching as you used your power. He nodded his head, as if accepting your words, before he smiled at you. "Cool," he breathed. 

"Cool," you echoed, flashing him a grin. 

El and Max came back into the room and Mike shifted towards El, as if he was going to try to launch into his apology right then and there, but he was cut off by the sound of Jonathan calling for his brother. 

You were surprised to see Nancy and Jonathan and wondered why they were so worried about Will. You watched Jonathan hug his brother and ask him if he was okay. 

Nancy explained what was going on with a woman named Mrs. Driscoll and how her situation reminded her of Will's possession the previous year. You listened to her explain what was going on, feeling like your stomach was slowly dropping in dread. If it wasn't just Billy that was being affected by the Mind Flayer and its influence was spreading all over Hawkins, then what was its goal? What was the Mind Flayer doing? 

It wasn't until Nancy finished talking and really took a look around the basement that she noticed you. 

"Y/N? What are you doing here?" She sounded surprised, as if you weren't practically related to El or dating Max's brother. As if you didn't have a connection to the party at all. 

"Her boyfriend's possessed," Lucas answered. He winced and shot you an apologetic look. "Sorry, Y/N." 

"Billy?" Jonathan frowned before he looked at Will. "Is it like last time? Or what's happening with Mrs. Driscoll?" 

"Yes and no," Will answered. "There's something different about this time." 

"She helped us fight Billy off last night. And then she tried to trade herself for Billy," Lucas continued. 

Jonathan and Nancy glanced at you, both of their eyebrows raised in surprise. 

You shrugged your shoulders, moving to stand from the couch. "Okay, I'm not proud of myself, but I wanted to save him. I am going to save him," you affirmed, shooting Max a look. "And as far as I'm concerned, there's only one way to do that." 

"How?" El asked, studying you with a concerned look as if you were about to try and sacrifice yourself again. 

"Killing the Mind Flayer," you answered. 

Lucas snorted, rolling his eyes. "You make it sound so easy." 

"Look, either the Mind Flayer dies or I die trying to kill it. I spent so long just wanting to feel like I belonged and had a family and someone to love me. Well, I found all of those things the moment I decided to follow El back to Hawkins. And the Mind Flayer is threatening all of that. So I'm going to find a way to kick its ass or I'll die trying. It's not going to be easy, but I'm still going to try. I'll try until I can't anymore." 

There was a stunned silence that followed your words and you stared at the others crowded around the basement, wondering what they were thinking. 

"Damn," Lucas said, finally breaking the silence. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk that much." 

You rolled your eyes, reaching out to smack Lucas' shoulder. "So, what's the plan?" You glanced to Nancy and Jonathan and then Mike, raising an eyebrow in question. 

The plan turned out to be one you weren't so thrilled to carry through. Nancy and Mike suspected that the Holloway family was also possessed by the Mind Flayer, turning them into 'the flayed.' You didn't like the idea that anyone could be one of the flayed. It made you wonder if there were eyes on you and the others, taking note of your movements to report back to the Mind Flayer. You couldn’t help but feel like the Mind Flayer was just waiting for the perfect moment to attack. 

It was determined that if the Holloways really were part of the flayed, then there might be clues left at their house. You didn't really want to go back to the Holloway house, but you knew it was necessary. Tracking down anyone who was flayed and possessed by the Mind Flayer was the first real step towards finding the monster. If you found the monster, figured out its weaknesses, then you had a shot at killing it. If it really was gearing up for an attack and making itself stronger, then the sooner you attacked it, the better of a chance you had. 

The Holloway house was remarkably different than the one you had entered just a couple of nights before. You shivered when you stepped foot inside the house, glancing around at the entryway. The scene reminded you of the horror movies Billy had made you watch. He confessed that he didn't so much like horror movies as much as he liked the way you curled into him when the scary moments happened, because he had another excuse to hold you close. 

You felt your chest clench at the thought of Billy. The last time you were here, you'd gotten your heart broken thinking that Billy had left you for Heather. Now that you knew the truth, a part of you wished it had been that simple. You could have lived with the knowledge that Billy cheated on you. You didn't know if you'd be able to make it through if the Mind Flayer took him from you for good. 

While the Nancy and Mike started searching for clues, Jonathan sidled up to you. He cleared his throat, glancing around the entryway of the Holloway house and shifting on his feet, as if he wasn't sure of his welcome. 

"Everything okay?" You asked him, not sure why he was acting so nervous. 

Jonathan nodded his head. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry about Billy." 

You raised an eyebrow at that. "I thought you didn't like him." 

Jonathan sighed and then shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I like you." Jonathan's face turned red at your incredulous expression. "Not like _that_," he tried to backtrack. "Besides, Steve used to be a dick and then he changed. I guess I'm not ruling out the possibility that Billy is a somewhat decent person. I'm just saying I know what it's like to be scared that you're going to lose someone you care about to the Mind Flayer." 

"Thanks, Jonathan," you said, shooting him a small smile. "I appreciate it." 

"Just, uh, if there's anything I can do for you, just let me know. You're one of us now." 

You couldn't stop the smile on your face from growing. Jonathan and Will were both so incredibly sweet and shy. Joyce Byers was one of the fiercest women you had ever met, but she was also kind and generous. You thought about the ways Jonathan and Will were like their mother and you couldn't help but think she had done a great job raising them. 

"Thanks, Jonathan," you repeated, not sure what else to say. 

"Are you two going to help look around or are you going to stand there and talk all day?" 

You jumped at the sound of Mike's voice, turning to shoot him a glare. "Calm down, Wheeler," you told him, holding up your hands. "We're going." 

The more clues you found at the Holloway house, the more confused you felt. It was freezing inside the home, which fit with what Will and Billy had confirmed for you about the Mind Flayer. It liked it cold. What you couldn't explain were the numerous empty bottles of cleaning supplies you'd found. Were they compelled to drink the chemicals by the Mind Flayer? If so, then why? What was the purpose of having the flayed poison themselves? To make them more susceptible to being inhabited by the Mind Flayer? 

As the group put the clues together, a bigger picture formed. This was more than just Billy being possessed. It meant there were others under the influence of the Mind Flayer. You shivered at the thought of a flayed army. Fighting Billy had been difficult enough, but a whole group of people possessed by the Mind Flayer? You weren't sure how you were going to save Billy, let alone the many others who might have been flayed. 

While you had no way of knowing for sure, it seemed likely that Heather and Billy attacked Heather's parents and took them somewhere to become part of the flayed. There was no trail to follow, but Nancy thought that Mrs. Driscoll could lead you all to the place where the flayed must have been congregating. She said Mrs. Driscoll kept trying to get somewhere, even when they were strapping her down to a stretcher, so if she was freed from the hospital, then she might lead you to the Mind Flayer. 

You felt uneasy on the way to the hospital. Even with Jonathan and Nancy now part of the group, you couldn't help but feel like you were all still scattered. Dustin wasn't answering his radio. You weren't sure where Steve was, but you thought maybe he was with Dustin. Joyce and Hopper were in a different state. There were too many people still missing from your group. 

Most of all, you were worried about your best friend. You didn't want Steve to be part of the shitshow that Hawkins was putting on now, but you couldn't help the nagging feeling that told you Dustin and Steve would always find a way to stumble into trouble. You just hoped that if they were battling their own problem, that you managed to find them soon. You'd been so consumed with the problems posed by Billy and the Mind Flayer that you hadn't even thought to go by Scoops Ahoy to check on Steve. At that moment, thoughts of Starcourt brought your mind right back to your job at The Gap. 

"Oh shit," you whispered to yourself as you walked into the waiting room of Hawkins Memorial Hospital. 

"What? What's wrong?" Max asked, turning to look at you. 

"I just remembered my job at The Gap. I'm so fired," you said. You couldn't believe that you had forgotten all about your job. It wasn't like you really cared all that much about it, but it had become part of your routine in an effort to lead a normal life. If the events of the past few days meant anything, though, you probably would never have a normal life. 

"If it helps, I think that's the least of your worries now," Max offered, patting you on the arm. 

"Yeah," you whispered, frowning down at the floor. 

You all tried to go up to visit Mrs. Driscoll, but were swiftly informed that only two visitors were allowed at a time. Since Nancy and Jonathan actually knew the woman, it was decided that they would go and see her while you all stayed in the waiting room. 

You couldn't help but feel like something was going to go wrong. Nothing had been going to plan lately and if there was one thing you knew, it was that every plan you made hit a snag somewhere. Splitting up seemed like the worst idea at the moment, but if you wanted any chance at getting near Mrs. Driscoll, then it was the only way to move forward. You thought about volunteering to go instead of Nancy or Jonathan, but they were already leaving you alone with the party. You really hoped it wasn't a mistake. 

You ended up distancing yourself from the party in the waiting room. You were starting to wonder if all the loose threads were going to weave together to showcase the true horror threatening Hawkins. You wished everyone was together. You wished Hopper was there, since you knew that he always had some kind of plan. You wished Joyce was there, because she always managed to see what everyone else couldn't. You wished Steve was there, because he was always so willing to protect others and inspire them to action. Not to mention, you really would have benefited from just a few encouraging words from your best friend. Even having Dustin there would have helped, since he had proved to be incredibly resourceful, especially in a crisis. Above all, you wished Billy was there and free from the Mind Flayer. It felt like all you could do was hope in that moment that you'd see them all again before the final showdown with the Mind Flayer. There was a sinking feeling in your stomach that had you convinced that you probably wouldn't survive. 

It was fine, though. At least that's what you told yourself. You knew you'd do anything to free Billy from the Mind Flayer. You'd been ready to trade yourself for Billy and if that extended to trading your life for his, then so be it. You just didn't know what you were supposed to do. All you had now was following the clues the party picked up and trying to make sense of everything. 

You were torn out of your thoughts by the lights flickering. You glanced to the ceiling, watching the lights blink on and off frequently, before you looked to the rest of the party. 

Will had a hand clutched to the back of his neck, staring at the ceiling in horror. From the expressions on the rest of the party's faces, you knew that your earlier feeling of foreboding had been justified.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a bit of a filler, but I promise reader sees Billy and has a conversation with him next chapter. 
> 
> If you're interested in other reader inserts, I have posted ones for Anna and the Apocalypse, Ready or Not, The Umbrella Academy, and The Walking Dead. Please feel free to check them out. ♥


	8. I'll Be the Ghost Inside Your Head

You rushed through the hallways of Hawkins Memorial Hospital in search of Nancy and Jonathan. A few floors up, you heard Jonathan screaming Nancy's name. You shared a brief, panicked look with El before you followed the sound of Jonathan's voice. 

You found him trying to break into a room, frantic in his movements as he shouted for Nancy. 

"Move," El told him as she brought her hand up and used her power to blast open the door. 

You felt yourself freeze at the sight of the creature in the room with Nancy. You weren't quite expecting something like this, but at the same time, you thought you should have known better. El immediately attacked the Mind Flayer creature while you ushered Nancy away from the wall. You were careful not to get in the way of El's attempt to crush the creature, but you couldn’t quite contain your flinch when it landed a little too close to where you were crouched down. 

Once you got Nancy out of the room, you noticed that Jonathan was injured. After you'd gotten everyone else out of the room and in the hallway, you reached out to heal him. He blinked at you, obviously startled, before he nodded his head in thanks. You glanced to Nancy, raising an eyebrow in silent question. She shook her head, most of her focus on El and what she was doing to the creature. 

You glanced back into the room to see the creature still coming for El, even though she'd basically destroyed the room in an effort to knock it down. She screamed in frustration and thrust her arms out, sending it back through the window. You watched it disappear from sight, knowing that its only action now was to hit the ground. 

"Shit," you hissed, turning and taking off down the hallway. You ignored the shouts of your name, knowing that if you made it in time, then you could see if the creature escaped. If it got up and left, then there was every chance it could lead you to the actual Mind Flayer and the flayed. You knew that the Mind Flayer, its complete form, was going to be bigger and scarier. You knew that you would have no chance against it. But if you found the Mind Flayer, then you would find Billy. 

You practically sprinted through the foyer and out through the front doors of the hospital, intent on finding the creature. You thought it would either be there lying lifeless on the concrete or it would be ambling away. You weren't prepared to see it simply melting through the sewer grate and disappearing from view. 

"No!" You shouted, racing forward. By the time you got to where the creature had been, it was gone. "Fuck," you hissed, turning away from the spot. "What the fuck?" You yelled, tilting your head back to stare up at the sky. It seemed that every plan you had failed in the most spectacular way lately. You were beginning to think that nothing would ever go right for you again. 

You felt someone touch your shoulder and turned to see Mike standing there. "We're going to go back to Hopper's cabin. It's probably the best place to be right now. You still with us?" 

You blinked a few times, realizing that there were tears in your eyes when you felt them start to fall. You nodded your head. "Of course I am," you said, flashing Mike a smile. 

He frowned at you, but didn't try to press the issue. "Then let's go." 

The trip back to Hopper's cabin gave you time to think. Nancy and Jonathan explained what happened to their former co-workers. They had broken down and merged to create the creature in the hospital. It wasn't the Mind Flayer, but a part of it. You wondered if that would happen to Billy. Was he already lost to you? You weren't going to stop fighting for him until there was nothing left to fight for and even then, you were sure you would still push on. You needed Billy. He was your anchor. Without him, you felt like you were drifting and aimless. 

Once you made it to Hopper’s cabin, everyone agreed to try to get some rest before anything was tried. The kids split up between El’s room and Hopper’s while Nancy and Jonathan offered to take the couch. You stayed awake, though. You sat on the floor of the living room, your knees pulled up to your chest, and your arms wrapped around your legs. You were exhausted, but you felt too wired to even attempt to sleep. 

You kept thinking about the part of the Mind Flayer that El had battled in the hospital. What was once two people had been broken down and consumed by the Mind Flayer. You couldn’t help but think about the empty containers of cleaning supplies in the Holloway household. Was that how the Mind Flayer prepared the bodies of the flayed? Was that happening to Billy? You were scared to think that if somehow you managed to save Billy, that he would still die from what the Mind Flayer had done to his body. 

"Y/N," you heard someone call from behind you. You glanced over your shoulder to see El standing there. 

"Hey," you said, patting the spot on the floor beside you. "What's going on?" 

El shrugged her shoulders as she sat down. You wrapped your arm around her shoulders, feeling her head drop down to rest on your shoulder. "We have to find them," she told you. 

"I know," you whispered, not wanting to wake anyone. "How are you doing?" You knew that fighting Billy and then throwing around the creature earlier must have tired her out. 

"Fine," she said, sighing as she curled in closer to you. "I miss Hopper." 

"Me too." Hopper was really the only parent you'd ever had. You were so fiercely glad that if anyone was going to find El and try to raise her, that Hopper had been the one to step up and do it. El was still so innocent and didn't deserve any of the things life and Hawkins Lab and Brenner had thrown at her. She deserved to know what it was like to be loved and cared for and Hopper, along with the party, had shown her that. "We'll get through this, okay? You've got me." 

"You've got me too," she mumbled into your shoulder, her head drooping against your shoulder as she seemed to drift off to sleep. 

You carefully pulled her closer against you and leaned back against the couch, being careful not to nudge Nancy or Jonathan where they were pressed together on the couch. "Get some rest," you whispered, pressing a kiss to El's forehead and closing your eyes. 

The next time you opened your eyes, there was sunlight filling the living room of Hopper's cabin. You squinted and sat up, glancing around the room. You noticed Nancy and Jonathan were in the kitchen, both of them frowning at each other and whispering to each other. You weren't sure where El or the other kids were until you heard voices coming from El's bedroom. You pushed yourself to your feet, groaning as your knee seemed to protest the movement. 

"Hey, Y/N," Nancy said, shooting you a brief smile. "How did you sleep?" 

You moved your head from side to side, wincing when you realized how sore you neck was from sleeping in an awkward position all night. "Okay," you answered. "You two?" You asked as you gestured at Nancy and Jonathan. 

Jonathan nodded his head. "Good," he said. "El wanted to talk to you when you woke up." 

"Thanks," you said as you crossed over to her room and knocked lightly on her door. 

Lucas opened the door and flashed you a smile. "El's been waiting on you." 

"I heard," you said, raising an eyebrow. "What's going on?" You asked her, finally spotting her where she was sitting with her back to her dresser. 

She looked up at you and held up a strip of cloth. "I wanted to look for the flayed. Want to go with me?" 

You didn't hesitate before you nodded your head and moved to sit down on the floor in front of her. You took the cloth from her and started wrapping it around your head to cover your eyes. You were aware of El turning on her radio and changing the channels until she came across the static that helped her easily slip into the Void. You heard her ask the party to leave and give you two privacy before her hands grabbed yours. 

You focused on your breathing and El's hands in yours. You listened to the static and sought the breaks in the noise. You focused on the darkness behind the blindfold and tried to sync your breathing with El's. Between one breath and the next, you felt yourself slip into the Void. 

You glanced to the side to see El there, a determined expression on her face. "Ready?" She asked, barely sparing you a look before she took off. 

You weren't sure how long you spent in the Void trying to find one of the flayed. You felt like the darkness would consume you if you weren't careful and you stuck close to El. If anything turned out to be a problem, then you wanted to try to get her out of there. You knew that when both of you entered the Void together, she was able to hold onto it for longer. You knew that sometimes, when El was using her power and you touched her, it seemed to amplify. You weren't sure if your power boosted hers or if she would be able to help you use yours, but you were glad for it now. Whether by freak accident or intentionally, the lab had connected you and El in more ways than one. 

After what felt like forever and no time at all, you were able to pick up a trail. You felt your focus slip for a moment when you realized where the trail was leading you and El. "Billy," you whispered. You didn't know why Billy was in the Hargrove home, but you couldn't help but wonder if Billy was keeping the Mind Flayer from seeing his real home. Maybe Billy wasn't as completely lost as you had feared earlier and you felt a thrill of hope at the idea that you would be able to pull Billy away from the Mind Flayer's influence. 

You glanced to El, a cautious smile on your face, before she nodded her head. "Let's tell the party," she said before she pulled you both of the Void. 

You were slow to get to your feet, feeling shaky. You weren't used to spending so much time in the Void and you wondered if it was starting to take a toll on you. You noticed that it was darker outside, which meant that you had been in the Void for hours. 

You heard El inform the others that she found one of the flayed as you made it back to the living room. She turned to look at you over her shoulder and nodded towards the party. You nodded back, knowing that she was asking if you could find Billy together while the others were there. There was a tiny part of you that was scared to spy on Billy in the Void. You didn't know as much about the Void as you wanted and surely if you were able to use it to spy on people, then could something in turn use it to spy on you? You trusted El, though, and you knew that she had more experience with the Void than you did. 

You sat down in front of her on the floor of the living room and fixed the blindfold back over your eyes. You felt her grab your hands again and between one breath and the next, she pulled you both back into the Void. 

This time, when you slipped back into the Void, it felt like a shallow connection. You didn't feel like you were completely sucked in like usual and you knew that El was trying to leave herself open to the outside world as well, so she could tell the party what was going on. 

You were outside the Hargrove household again, staring up at the home Billy had been so eager to leave. El was already at the front door, but you couldn’t help but stare at the house. Billy was inside and even though you weren’t fully sure why he was choosing to spend the day in a house he hated, you were still anxious to see him. 

"Are you with me?" El asked you, frowning at your hesitation. 

You nodded your head and followed her into the house. It didn't take you long to find Billy sitting on his bed. He was still and silent, as if waiting for something. You felt alarmed at the thought. Was this a trick? 

"He's in his old room," you heard El say, knowing she was informing the party. "He's just sitting on his bed. He's not doing anything." 

You could hear the party murmuring to each other but couldn't make anything out until Lucas spoke. 

"Look, if we know it's a trap, then it can't be a trap, right? We don't have to fall for it, but we can be ready for it. We can still win." 

El took a deep breath and took a step into Billy's room. "I'm going to find out where he's been." 

"El, no. It's too dangerous," you heard Mike say. 

"Mike," she said, her voice soft. "Trust me." 

You didn't hear anything else and watched as El inched forward into Billy's room. You followed after her, moving to put your hand on her shoulder so she would know you were right there with her. She sighed and reached out to grab Billy’s arm, but it was then that Billy moved. He shot out a hand, wrapping his hand around El's wrist, and then both of you were falling. 

You gasped, but realized quickly it was the wrong move. You felt water rush into your mouth and tried to cough it back up, but you were surrounded. You managed to push yourself to the surface and found yourself spit out on a shore. You glanced up, noticing that El was sitting on the sand, looking around with wide eyes. 

It took you a few moments to connect the events in your mind. El touching Billy and Billy grabbing her arm, somehow knowing she was there. And now you were stranded on a beach with a red sky looming over you and waves crashing against your back. 

You groaned and stood up, reaching out a hand to help El to her feet. 

You were so distracted by the beach that it took you a few moments to notice the boy and woman. She was cheering as the boy raced across the sand to her, surfboard tucked under his arm. His face was lit up with a smile, obviously proud of himself as the woman congratulated him. 

"What is this?" You couldn't help but ask. There was what looked like a towering funnel cloud off in the distance, but that wasn't quite right. Whatever it was, you instinctively knew that it was what you and El were searching for. 

El was staring at the boy in awe. "It's his memories. It's Billy," she told you as she nodded at the boy. "Something like this happened when I tried to figure out what mama was trying to tell me. It's where he's been." She nodded at the cloud off in the distance. "We have to follow the trail." 

You nodded your head and reached down to grab her hand. "With me?" You weren't quite ready to be confronted by Billy's memories, but you were relieved to have El at your side. 

You waited for her nod of agreement before you continued walking along the shore. You confronted memories from Billy's past, starting from when he was younger and seemingly happy to when Neil Hargrove began his abuse. You hated watching Neil Hargrove terrorizing Billy's mother and Billy. You felt helpless as you watched a young Billy fall victim to Neil Hargrove and wished you could take him in your arms and protect him from the man who was supposed to love him and nurture him. You felt El squeeze your hand when you watched Billy learn that his mother had abandoned him to suffer Neil's abuse alone. You realized you were crying, tears slipping down your cheeks as you were confronted with memories that helped shape Billy and define him. 

You hated seeing Billy mirror Neil's abuse on other people. You knew he was taking out his anger and frustration on others, but you also knew that Billy was hurting. Neil Hargrove had done a number on Billy and while you hated seeing how terrible Billy had been to other kids, you knew that he had changed. He was no longer the boy turned young man who was echoing the violence he learned from his father. He was turning his life around and working to break the hold Neil Hargrove had on him. 

You witnessed him meeting Max and completely ignoring her. You saw him picking relentlessly on others. You saw a glimpse of him driving too fast in his car and then his fight with Steve in the Byers house. 

And then you were confronted with a familiar scene. It was Billy lying on the floor of the Byers home and you hovering over him. You watched him stare up at you blearily and ask if you were an angel. You wished for a moment that you could go back to that moment with the knowledge of the events that would unfold. You would change it all if you could. Hell, you wanted to go back to Billy's childhood and save him from his father and the heartbreak of his mother leaving him. You wanted so fiercely to protect him and knowing that you couldn't do anything for him in that moment left you feeling useless. 

You watched a quick succession of memories. Billy watching you and studying you. Billy propositioning you outside the restaurant when you were with Hopper and El. Billy talking with you late at night. Billy kissing you. Billy falling in love with you. 

There was a new memory that must have taken place after Billy graduated and moved in with you. It was one that had you feeling like your world was tumbling down around you as you watched Billy look at a display case. He smiled down at the glass, his focus on the rings that were on display before him. "That's the one," he said as he stared down at a silver band with vines etched along it and wrapped around a sapphire. "One day," he whispered as he tapped the display case with his fingers and turned and walked away. 

You froze, your heart thudding hard in your chest. Was Billy going to ask you to marry him? He was shopping for rings, so that's what he must have been planning. You couldn't believe that he had managed to hide that from you and you felt your chest clench at the thought that you'd never have the opportunity to tell him 'yes.' 

"Y/N," El called, pulling your attention to her. "We're almost there," she whispered. “We have to keep going.” 

You sniffled and nodded your head, hastily wiping away your tears. "Let's go," you decided, knowing that you didn't have time to linger. 

Near the end, once you and El were almost at the cloud, you found a memory you didn't want to revisit. The night of your fight. The night Billy didn't come home. The night you might have lost him for good. You grimaced once you watched him slam the front door behind him and stride over to his car. 

You watched him get in the accident and get pulled into a building. The sign read: Brimborn Steel Works. You winced at the sound of Billy's screams and turned to El. "Let's leave. We've got it," you told her, not wanting to hear Billy suffer. 

El nodded and pushed you out of the Void. 

You reached up and pulled your blindfold off, but you were surprised to find that you weren't in Hopper's cabin and you were no longer with the party. Instead, you felt your breath hitch in surprise when you realized there was only one other person with you. 

"Billy," you breathed, feeling tears well in your eyes at the sight of him. 

"Y/N," he said, nodding his head at you from where he was standing across the room. "How are you, baby? I've missed you." 

You let out a choked laugh, hating how you were fighting to keep yourself together. You were failing, though. You moved forward, still not sure that this was Billy. Was it a trick by the Mind Flayer? You knew you were still in the Void, but how was this possible? 

"I'm scared," you admitted. It was something you wouldn't tell anyone but Billy. Even if he was being used as a puppet right now, you didn't care. You needed to at least pretend that everything was normal for just a few moments. Billy was the only one you would let see you so vulnerable. 

"I'm scared too." He moved forward until he was standing right in front of you. He brought his hands up, freezing when you flinched. 

"Sorry," you whispered. "Is it really you?" 

He licked his lips and nodded. "For now," he confirmed. 

"What are we doing here, Billy?" You glanced around, easily recognizing the living room of the home you shared with Billy. "What's going on?" 

"I wanted to see our home one last time," he said, looking around the room before he finally focused back on you. "This is the best home I've ever had. Here. With you. This is the only home for me." 

You thought of the memory you just watched with Billy looking at rings. "Billy, was that real?" 

He tilted his head to the side, frowning at you in confusion. "Which part?" 

"The ring," you told him. "Were you going to ask me to marry you?" 

Billy bit his lip and then slowly nodded his head. "One day. When I'd saved up the money." He smiled at you briefly before his face fell and he looked almost somber as he took a small step towards you. "I think I've known you were it for me since I met you. You're the only person that's ever truly cared about me. Of course I'm going to lock that down," he attempted to joke. 

You surged forward and brought him into a hug. You couldn't stop the tears that were beginning to spill down your cheeks. "I miss you," you told him, your face pressed against his shoulder. You didn't want to think about him saying he wanted to be home 'one last time,' as if this was going to be the end. You wouldn't let it be the end. You would come back here with Billy, both of you whole and alive, and you would show him each and every day that you loved him. 

"I miss you too," he said, tugging on you until you were looking at him again. He pressed forward, bringing your mouths together in a kiss. You fell into the kiss, feeling it turn desperate and almost hungry as you let Billy take the lead. He was pressed against you like he wanted to try getting closer, even though it was physically impossible. 

You thought for a moment that you were shaking, but it was then you realized it was Billy who was shaking against you. You gasped and pulled back, staring at him with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" 

He shook his head, a grimace on his face. "I need you to leave town," he bit out. "Go and don't look back. Take Max with you. Just leave." 

You pulled him into another brief kiss, knowing that your time together was likely coming to an end. You broke the kiss and pressed your forehead against his as you stared into his eyes. "I'm not leaving without you," you promised. 

"Damn it, Y/N," he snapped as he took a step away from you. "_He's coming._ I can't stop him. He's coming for Eleven. He's coming for you. He's coming for all of you." He sucked in a shaky breath, his hands reaching out to wrap around your wrists. "He's talking to your sister right now. El," he added. 

You frowned at him, wincing when his grip on your wrists tightened. "How do you know about El?" You'd never told him that El was your sister. You never told him that you were connected beyond Hopper taking you in and El being Hopper's daughter. He shouldn't have known. "How do you know?" You repeated, hating the ominous, heavy silence that followed your question. 

Billy smirked at you and released his grip on your wrists. You knew, then, that it wasn't fully Billy anymore when he answered you. "We know everything," he growled as he cocked his head, considering you. He blinked and stumbled backwards, shaking his head. After a few moments, he finally lifted his head and met your eyes. "Run," he said before you were pulled out of the Void. 

"Fuck!" You yelled as you ripped away the strip of cloth covering your eyes, causing everyone grouped around you to jump. "Shit. Sorry," you groaned and glanced around. You were back in Hopper's cabin. 

The others were all crowded around you and El. All of them looked varying degrees of concerned and worried. 

Someone handed you a washcloth and you stared at it for a few moments, trying to reorient your thoughts. So much had happened since you followed El into the Void and you couldn't quite process that you were no longer in the Void watching Billy's memories and you were no longer talking to him. There was danger heading your way and yet you were sitting there on the floor, attempting to pull yourself back together. 

"Come on," Max urged, pressing the washcloth into your hand. "You're bleeding. And you were crying," she informed you as she gestured at the drying tears you could feel on your face. 

You glanced over to El, seeing that she was still in the Void. You reached out to gently wipe the blood away from her face first, knowing that this was likely the last quiet, still moment you would get for a while. Once her face was clean, you swiped at the blood under your own nose, tasting it on your lips. You shuddered and dropped the washcloth to the floor. You moved to grab El's hands, wondering if you could rejoin her in the Void to see what was going on, before she clenched her hands into fists. She hastily pulled the blindfold away from her eyes and glanced to you, her expression full of fear. 

"He's coming," she whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any love shown for this fic is the best form of motivation and I'm so grateful to everyone who comments, subscribes, leaves kudos, and bookmarks this fic. Thank you. ♥
> 
> If you're interested in reader inserts for Anna and the Apocalypse, Ready or Not, The Umbrella Academy, or The Walking Dead, then please feel free to check out my other fics. ♥


	9. You Better Go and Take a Bow

Everyone was still crowded around you and El where you were sitting on the floor. You knew they were waiting to hear what happened in the Void. You wanted to tell them to back up, since you felt like everything was closing in on you. You were trying to process everything that happened and you felt like you couldn't catch a breath, much less have one clear thought. 

"What's going on?" Mike asked. He crouched down until he was on El's level, looking to her in question. 

El glanced to you, as if silently asking if you wanted to go first, but you shook your head. El was visibly shaken by whatever happened to her when you were separated in the Void and you were interested in hearing what the Mind Flayer told her. 

You knew your time was limited. There was an undercurrent of danger in your mind that had you wanting to act, but you felt so scattered. You missed everyone not with you so terribly in that moment that you could barely hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. Billy, Steve, and Hopper would have been such a welcome sight to you and you were terrified at the thought that you would never see any of them again. You didn’t want to think that your few moments with Billy in the Void would be the last you spent with him. You refused to lose Billy or anyone else to the Mind Flayer. 

"He was waiting for me. I think he turned the connection back on me. He told me he was building something," El started with a grimace on her face as she recounted her time in the Void. "He said it was for me," she added after a few moments, sounding just as confused as everyone looked. 

"For you?" Mike asked. "Why is it for you?" 

El shrugged her shoulders, but didn't answer. Instead, she reached out to press her fingers to your arm, as if silently checking on you. "What happened to you?" 

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath, still trying to get back on track. So much had happened in such a short period of time and there was a part of you that wondered if any of it was real. Maybe you were still in the lab being experimented on. Maybe this was one fucked up and twisted project by Brenner. Maybe you didn't really have powers and your boyfriend wasn't really possessed by a creature from another dimension. Maybe all of it was real and you just wanted an escape for a few seconds from the insanity that had taken over your life. 

"I saw Billy," you finally admitted. "He told me to get out of Hawkins," you said as you glanced to Max, remembering Billy telling you to take her and go. You couldn't help but think that they had come a long way from being stepsiblings who barely cared about each other to stepsiblings who were actively worried about each other. "He told me that they're coming for El and me. They're coming for all of us." You shook your head. "I don't think we have much time here before they come after us." 

"Well, shit," you heard Lucas mumble. 

"The Mind Flayer is probably looking for revenge since El closed the gate. He's probably after you too, Y/N, because you were there," Mike said. "And he's probably after us for helping you." 

"He said he was going to destroy everything," El spoke up, a haunted look on her face. You weren't sure what happened to her in the Void, but it must have really spooked her. You were so used to seeing El confident in her abilities and knowing that she could face whatever problem surfaced. Seeing her look like she was genuinely terrified of what was coming her way had you reaching out to grab her hand, trying to remind her that she wasn't alone. She shot you a brief, grateful smile. 

"If the Mind Flayer takes out El and then me, then there won't be much in his way. Although, really, he just needs El. I can't do anything near what she can do," you mused with a shake of your head. 

"Hey, we can help you," Lucas said. "We'll be ready," he assured you when you glanced at him. "We won't let it get you or El. And we'll kick the Mind Flayer's ass. All of us," he said as he looked around at the group. 

You nodded your head in thanks, thinking that if the Mind Flayer was as terrifying as the shadow you saw on the other side of the gate when El was closing it, then there was a very slim chance you all made it out of this encounter alive. You were going to hope that if you all worked together, then the Mind Flayer didn't stand a chance. If anyone got injured, then you could heal them. If you got injured, then you could heal yourself. The only thing you couldn't heal, unfortunately, was death. If someone was mortally wounded and you weren't there to heal any fatal injuries, then you wouldn't be able to bring them back if they succumbed to them. The thought made you feel sick to your stomach. 

"Do you hear that?" Nancy asked. She glanced around, as if trying to find the source of the noise. It was then that you heard the rumbling, booming sound that must have caught Nancy's attention. 

Will drew in a sharp breath and then glanced around at everyone with wide, terrified eyes. "He's coming," he said, his tone betraying how scared he was at just the thought of the Mind Flayer being nearby. 

"Then let's get out of here," Jonathan said, nodding at Nancy. "We can take Nancy's car and leave before he gets here." 

It was a good plan in theory. Flee before the monster comes along and wreaks all kinds of havoc. Of course, you didn't count on the Mind Flayer being alarmingly close enough to Hopper's cabin that there was no other option but to stand your ground and fight. 

Jonathan and Nancy decided to look for anything that could be used as a weapon in Hopper's shed while you helped the party barricade the cabin. You weren't sure there was much to be done, because from the glimpse you caught of the Mind Flayer, it was likely big enough to take down the cabin without much trouble. But you knew the Mind Flayer was there to hurt El and you were going to do everything you could to keep that from happening. 

Nancy and Jonathan ran back into the cabin just before Lucas and Will began to push the couch in the living room against the door. You noticed Nancy had a shotgun and Jonathan was holding an axe. You weren't sure they would do much against the Mind Flayer, but all you could do was hope at this point. 

As you helped push the furniture against the walls and windows, you felt the cabin start to shake. You shared an alarmed look with El, knowing that everything was likely about to fall apart. You took a moment to glance around Hopper's cabin. You thought of the months you spent here with Hopper and El. Hopper had welcomed you into their family without a second thought and now the first real home you ever had was likely about to be torn apart by the Mind Flayer. You couldn't help but feel like everything in your life had been torn apart by the Mind Flayer lately. 

You didn't have much time to think, let alone consider what you were going to do, before the attack began. 

What you could only describe as an arm shot through a wall of the cabin. Jonathan was quick to swing the axe at it, but the Mind Flayer's arm hit Jonathan and he was thrown into the wall. Nancy started shooting the Mind Flayer, and while it seemed to have little effect on the Mind Flayer, it was still doing something to hurt it. She ran out of bullets, so you quickly moved to scoop up the axe Jonathan dropped. You concentrated on it and was thankful when your power cooperated enough to send it flying into the arm of the Mind Flayer. 

The arm thrashed around and you could hear an otherworldly shriek come from the Mind Flayer. It wasn’t enough, though. After everything, the Mind Flayer was still trying to attack. You noticed the arm turn in Nancy's direction and you stepped forward, your hand outstretched to try to call the axe back to you so you could take another hit at the Mind Flayer. By the time the axe was falling back into your hand, though, El was stepping forward. 

She easily severed the Mind Flayer's arm with her power. You didn't get much time to celebrate the victory, though, because two of the Mind Flayer's arms came through the walls of the cabin right at El. You were knocked out of the way by one of the arms and the axe went skidding out of your reach, but you didn't even have a moment to go for it before El was cutting off both of the other arms of the Mind Flayer. 

You let out a breath of relief when you noticed that El looked just as ready to fight as when everything started. She didn't look tired or like she was about to be drained of energy and you hoped it remained that way until the fight was over. 

You heard an ominous creaking sound before part of the roof of the cabin was torn off by the Mind Flayer. You stared up into its face, frozen for a moment by the terrifying sight before you. It wasn't until it shot out an arm and grabbed El's ankle that you jerked forward to try to stop it. You noticed Mike, Will, Max, and Jonathan reach out to hold onto El as she was pulled towards the Mind Flayer. Nancy had finished reloading the shotgun and tried shooting the creature again. You noticed all of the rounds make impact with the Mind Flayer's head, but it seemed to do nothing to it this time. 

You jumped up onto the coffee table and reached for the arm of the Mind Flayer, thinking that you would be able to try to sever it like El had. You figured having contact with it couldn't hurt, but you were wrong. 

You didn't notice the feeling at first. You were concentrating so hard on using the power that you had unlocked with El's help that you didn't immediately recognize that your ability to heal was trying to make itself known. It took you a few moments to feel it. It was like you'd swallowed a small flame and it had taken root in your stomach. It felt like it had grown and branched out along your limbs, trying to consume you. You remembered trying to heal Will when he was possessed by the Mind Flayer. At the time, only your hand had burned, but this felt like you were being doused in fire and there was no end to the pain in sight. You weren't even aware you were screaming until you heard someone call your name. 

Everything sounded like it was far away, though. There were faces flashing across your mind now. Heather and Mr. and Mrs. Holloway. There were men and women and children you didn't know. It was your power, you realized. The Mind Flayer must have consumed them and now your power was trying to heal them and it couldn't. You wanted nothing more than to let go of the Mind Flayer, but you felt like you had touched a livewire and now couldn't let go. You became aware again in tiny increments once you felt like you might pass out from the pain. 

You stared horrified down at your hand when you realized that you were burning, but you seemed to be taking the Mind Flayer with you. It was shrieking, making an awful noise that seemed to pierce through your daze, and managed to finally tear your hand away from the Mind Flayer. You noticed where your hand had been wrapped around it, there were bright orange lines spiraling out from a pulsing, sickly red print in the shape of your hand. There were pieces of the arm flaking off and you could see where it seemed to be almost turning to ash. 

You managed to finally stumble backwards off the table and fell to the floor, staring up at the ceiling in a daze. You were vaguely aware of Lucas jumping up onto the table and severing the arm with the axe. You heard the others falling to the floor as the Mind Flayer screeched in pain and outrage. You could only stare up at the multiple rows of teeth in the Mind Flayer's mouth and wonder what the fuck had just happened. The pain was slowly ebbing, but you still felt like you were burning all over. All you could think was you had a fever, but that was ridiculous. You didn't get sick and the Mind Flayer couldn't give you an illness. 

You heard El scream in pain and you made your head swivel to the side to see Mike trying to pull off the part of the Mind Flayer that was still embedded in her leg. You felt like you were trying to fight your way through an ocean current as you put your hands on the floor and started to push yourself to your feet. You had to help El. You had to heal her. You had to get rid of the Mind Flayer. You had to flee. But when you put your hand to the floor, you pulled it back with a hiss. When you glanced down at the hand that had touched the Mind Flayer, you noticed the flesh was red and swollen across your palm. It was a burn that was slowly healing. 

You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to focus as you finally managed to stand. You looked up just in time to see El with her jaw clenched and sweat beading at her temples throw out both of her arms with a yell and split the Mind Flayer's head. You saw El collapse back into Mike in exhaustion as the Mind Flayer's head disappeared from view. 

There was a stunned silence that invaded the cabin in the aftermath of the Mind Flayer's attack. You could only stare dumbly at the others for a few moments, not quite sure what you were supposed to think or feel or do. You thought you'd been as prepared as you could be to fight the Mind Flayer, but that had been like nothing you'd imagined. 

"We need to get the fuck out of here," Max said, breaking the silence. "Let's go," she urged all of you, her expression telling you that she didn't understand why you were still there in the cabin when you could have already been making a run for it. 

Jonathan and Mike helped carry El out to Nancy's car while the rest of you clambered inside the vehicle. You got into the back, making room for El so you could take a look at her leg. Jonathan helped get El settled in the back with you while Mike moved to support her. You had her leg propped up in your lap and while you couldn't see the full extent of the damage, there was a part of you that was glad you didn't have to actually see the injury to heal it. 

You felt the car move as Nancy pulled away from the cabin. You spared a quick glance for the cabin, a terrible feeling in your gut telling you that you would never see it again. You shook your head and turned back to El, trying not to think about how quickly things had turned to shit. 

El looked like she was barely holding on as Mike soothed her. You hated seeing El in pain and hoped that you would be able to fix her ankle. 

"I've got you, El," you whispered before you placed your hands just above her ankle. You heard her gasp at the feeling, but you couldn't concentrate on that. You felt out the wound with your power, seeing it in your mind. It was nasty and deep. It would take a lot of your energy to heal, but you weren't going to let El suffer any longer. You pressed down with your hands, willing your power to work on El's ankle. You could see it stitching itself back up in your mind, but there was a bright shock of pain in your own ankle. You felt like it was burning, as if you'd touched it to a flame for just a brief second. You tried to shake the feeling off and concentrate on El's injury. It seemed to pulse bright red and purple in your mind, which you thought was odd, but you could only feel relief when you opened your eyes to see that it was mostly healed. It didn't look quite right, though. "Are you okay?" You asked El, glancing up at her. 

Her face was twisted in a grimace but she nodded her head. "It still hurts, but it's not as bad." 

"Is that normal?" Will asked. "It's not supposed to hurt, is it?" He was turned in his seat, holding onto the headrest as he looked back at the three of you. 

You shook your head, glancing down at your hands. The one that had touched the Mind Flayer was still a little tender, but it didn't hurt anymore. "Maybe it's something to do with the way she got it?" You knew you had little to no idea why El's ankle wouldn't heal completely, but you were glad for even the tiniest win at that moment. 

"We need supplies," Lucas suggested. "More weapons or something." 

"El probably needs a painkiller or five," Max said. 

You saw Nancy nod her head. "Got it," she said, speeding further away from Hopper's cabin and into town. 

Nancy pulled the car into the parking lot of a store called Bradley's Big Buy. All of you stumbled out of the car. You noticed Mike had to help El when she started limping, wincing in pain with every step. You frowned down at her ankle. It _looked_ like it was healed, so why was it still causing her so much agony? 

The store was closed, so you knew you’d have to break in. You watched as Nancy broke one of the windows that lined the front of the store, ushering all of you through as she glanced around to make sure there was truly no one else around. You followed the others into the store and watched as Mike helped El into an aisle and set her gently down on the floor. There was blood still covering her ankle and when she reached out to gingerly touch the skin, she hissed in a breath. 

"Okay, Nancy and Jonathan," Max said as she turned to look at the couple. "I need you find to find water and soap so we can clean up El's leg and make sure there's nothing else wrong with it." She turned to Will and Lucas. "You two need to go find a bowl and washcloth." 

Lucas raised an eyebrow at Max. "What are you going to do?" 

Max rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed by the question. "Y/N and I are going to track down some painkillers for El." She made a shooing gesture with her hand and waited until everyone else left to tug on your arm. "We'll be back," she told El and Mike before she pulled you down another aisle. "So, what was that?" She asked, glancing up at you. "What happened when you touched the Mind Flayer?" 

You sighed and turned to lean against the shelf beside you. You weren't quite exhausted, but you felt drained. You knew that the fight at the cabin was only the beginning, though. The Mind Flayer wasn't truly dead and there would likely be another messier battle happening soon. "It felt like it was burning me," you finally answered. "It hurt to touch it." 

Max nodded her head, seemingly scanning the shelves for a painkiller to give El. "You blanked out," she informed you. "You just went completely still and then you started screaming. It really freaked all of us out, but we were trying to keep the Mind Flayer from taking El." She turned and considered you, frowning at whatever expression you were wearing at the moment. "It looked like you burned it too." 

You bit your lip and glanced away from her. You noticed a bottle of aspirin on a shelf just behind Max and concentrated on it. It didn't take long before it was flying into your hand and you felt relieved that if anything, you still had command over that aspect of your power. "The Mind Flayer broke down all of the flayed and consumed them like Nancy and Jonathan's former co-workers," you explained. "I saw their faces when I touched the Mind Flayer and I was so scared that I would see Billy, but he wasn't there. I think my power tried to heal all of the people the Mind Flayer used, but it just ended up hurting me and the Mind Flayer." You sighed and shook your head, not knowing how to explain just how painful that experience had been or how you still felt like it was a little hard to catch your breath at the memory of it. 

Max opened her mouth to say something, but it was then you heard Mike yelling something. You rushed towards the aisle where you left Mike and El, hearing him shout Dustin's name and asking him to repeat something. You turned the corner, seeing Mike staring down at his radio in defeat. 

"What's going on?" You asked, just as the others joined you. 

"Dustin managed to reach out to us," Mike answered. "He's in trouble, but he got cut off before I could find out where he is." 

You glanced to El and knew what she was thinking. "So El and I will find him," you decided, already moving to help her to her feet. You wrapped an arm around her waist and let her lean most of her weight on you as you helped her walk. A few moments later, you were sitting in front of El on the floor of the freezer section. She still had her strip of cloth she carried with her, but you didn't have anything, so you resolved to just keep your eyes closed and hope it was enough to get you to the Void. 

You grabbed El's hands and focused on the buzzing noise coming from the freezers at El's back. You thought of Dustin and his ability to always brighten a situation. You were sure Steve was with Dustin, since one didn't go far without the other all too often, and you focused on the thought of your best friend. You thought of his ridiculously amazing hair and how he was always there for you. You thought of finding them and saving them. 

You did your best to move into the Void with El, but it was a lot more difficult with Mike and Lucas talking about soda of all things just a few feet away from you. You heard El make an impatient noise, her hands tightening around yours, before you were suddenly pulled into the Void. You only had a few moments to glance around, since the connection seemed weak, but it was more than enough. 

"A movie theater," El said once she pulled out of the Void. 

You turned to glance at the others. "Starcourt," you added. "They're at the mall." 

"Then let's go," Lucas said, clapping his hands together. "We finally have a destination, so let's get this show on the road." 

You noticed Max roll her eyes, but she looked fond of her boyfriend's antics. You shared a smile with her before you turned and helped Mike get El back to her feet. 

On the way out of the building, you noticed the fireworks Lucas had liberated from the store. You pointed at the boxes that were practically spilling out of the backpack he had strapped to his back. "Why are you bringing those?" 

Lucas offered you a grin. "They're for the final battle," he told you. "I have to be prepared." 

You considered the boxes of fireworks and then Lucas' proud grin. You thought that if anything, the fireworks would work as a great distraction if it was needed, and nodded your head. "Good idea," you said, before you patted him on the shoulder and then climbed into Nancy's car. 

The parking lot of Starcourt was eerily silent and empty when you got to the mall. Nancy hastily parked the car at the front and you all rushed through the doors. It didn't take you long to find Dustin and Steve. You were surprised to see they were joined by Robin and a little girl you didn't know. You were also shocked to see the guards that were converging on the small group. You hated seeing the guns aimed at Dustin and your best friend. You wished you had enough command over your power to just jerk the firearms away from the guards, but you knew it was too risky. You were going to have to rely on El to save them. 

Looking down on the scene, you noticed there was a car on display across the room from the soldiers. You moved to silently point it out to El, but she seemed to notice it at the same time. She used her power to get the horn to start blaring, drawing everyone's attention. Once the guards turned to look at the car, distracted from the others, she flung an arm out and flipped the car into the soldiers. You watched them all go down and felt relief that they wouldn't be a problem anymore. After everything with the Mind Flayer, the last thing you felt you needed to worry about were humans. You weren't sure if the guards were unconscious or dead, but you didn't really care at that moment. Without even thinking about what you were doing, you were rushing towards Steve once you were sure he was safe. 

You practically flew down the stairs and threw yourself into Steve's arms, hearing him let out a delighted laugh at the sight of you. You pulled him into a hug, but jerked away when you heard him hiss in pain. 

"Are you okay?" You asked him when you pulled back, nodding towards the wounds on his face. Now that you were closer, you could tell that Steve had been through hell. His eye was almost swollen shut and there was blood drying in different places from where he must have been hit several times. 

"Am I okay?" He asked incredulously. He pulled you back into a hug, his hair tickling your nose. "Where the hell have you been?" 

You reached up to brush your fingers over his face, healing the cuts and bruises on display. "It's too much to even try to explain," you said, glad to be back in your best friend's presence. You had missed Steve so much even though it had only been a couple of days since you last saw him. "Billy is in trouble and the Mind Flayer is back and it almost killed us all. El got hurt and we broke into a store and I can move things with my mind now. I touched the Mind Flayer and it felt like it was going to burn me alive," you babbled, barely able to take a breath in your haste to brief Steve. You felt like you had to get everything out in a rush, since there was so much that had taken place since the last time you saw Steve. You didn't know how much time you had before shit hit the fan again and you wanted to take as long as you could to spend time with your best friend. "Billy's possessed by the Mind Flayer," you admitted, cringing when Steve's grip on you tightened. 

"Shit," Steve breathed, his eyes wide. "Like what happened with Will?" 

You shook your head. "It's different this time." You felt your breath shudder at the thought of the people the Mind Flayer had already killed and changed the subject, feeling overwhelmed. "What was going on here?" You asked as you nodded at the guards on the floor. 

"The Russians were trying to take over the mall and me and Dustin and Robin and Erica ended up on this secret elevator and way below the mall. I got tortured by Russians, because they thought I was working for a rival or something crazy. They're doing some messed up shit down there. It looks like they're making their own gate to the Upside Down and you know if that happens," he trailed off, sharing a horrified look with you. 

"End of the world," you breathed. "So they're accessing the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer is on this side of the gate with us this time. They must have activated it," you surmised. “They woke it up.” 

You were aware of the others joining you. You glanced over your shoulder to see Dustin hugging his friends and you overheard Lucas talking to the girl, Erica, and asking Dustin how the hell he got his sister involved in everything. You couldn't help but smile when Erica argued that she was old enough and smart enough to take down a bunch of Russians, so she wasn't going to take any shit from her older brother. 

"Hey," Steve whispered, pulling your attention back to him. His arms were still wrapped around your waist and he didn't seem like he had any intention of letting go until he had to. "But you're okay?" 

You weren't sure if you would ever be okay again. Everything depended on the outcome of the night stretching out in front of you. You blew out a frustrated breath but nodded your head. "I hope I will be. You?" 

"I hope I will be," he echoed, shooting you a smirk. 

You reached up to ruffle his hair, ducking away with a laugh when Steve tried to retaliate. You felt lighter for a moment before reality crashed down around you. 

You flinched at the sound of El screaming. You turned, pushing yourself away from Steve, and rushed towards El. She had fallen to the floor and was clutching her left ankle. You thought maybe her wound had reappeared or she'd somehow gotten hurt again, but what you saw horrified you even more. 

There was something moving just beneath the skin of her leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling really low today, so I decided to update early. Please don't trash this, because I will likely cry. Thank you to anyone who shows this love. You really keep this going. ♥


	10. Sometimes You Scare Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this is the Battle of Starcourt. You know, the episode that likely made every Billy and Hopper fan cry. So, I hope I did this justice and please don't hate me...
> 
> Warnings for violence in this chapter. Billy does some shitty things while possessed.

You knelt beside El, watching as something pulsed just beneath the skin of her ankle. El was crying out in pain, her hands spasming around the hold she had on her leg. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she looked like she was having trouble remembering to breathe. 

“El, it’s going to be okay,” you soothed, trying to figure out the best way to care of whatever was stuck in El’s leg. 

"We have to do something!" Mike yelled, looking to you as if you should know exactly what was supposed to happen in this situation. 

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," Dustin chanted, staring at El's leg with wide, horrified eyes. 

"We need to get it out of there," Jonathan decided. "We have to cut it out." 

Jonathan ran to one of the restaurants in the atrium, leaving you to watch El writhe in pain. You felt helpless in that moment and you wished your power could be of some use, but you knew there wasn’t much you could do until El’s wound was reopened. 

Jonathan came back with a knife and wooden spoon. He fell to his knees beside El, glancing up at you in worry, before he looked back down at El’s ankle. 

El's eyes went wide once she spotted the knife in Jonathan’s hand and you felt an icy wave of fear crash over you. You'd closed the wound on El's leg. If you'd left it alone, then there would be no need to have to slice into her ankle to get out whatever was invading her now. You felt terrible as you met El's eyes, knowing that it was your fault she'd have to suffer even more pain. 

Jonathan met El's eyes. "This is going to hurt like hell. Are you ready?" 

El nodded her head and glanced to Jonathan. "Do it." 

You saw Mike and Dustin move to help hold El while Jonathan moved to crouch by El's leg. He handed the wooden spoon over to Mike. "Have her bite down on this," he ordered before he considered El's leg and placed the tip of the knife over whatever was stuck in her leg. You winced when Jonathan started cutting into El's ankle and you had to look away. Steve was standing just behind you and he reached out to put a hand on your shoulder, steadying you. 

You heard El's whimpers of pain and her muffled screams. You took a deep breath, trying to calm down when you wanted nothing more than to take El's pain away. You weren’t sure what was going on, but from the looks on everyone else’s faces, expressions ranging from disgusted to worried to fascinated, you knew you’d made the right choice in looking away, even though you felt a bit cowardly for not suffering through this with El. 

"I'll do it," she grunted, her voice strained. When you glanced back, it was to see Jonathan digging his fingers into El's newly reopened wound. You felt like you were going to be sick at the sight until Jonathan pulled his hand away. El used her power to pull what looked to be a piece of the Mind Flayer out of her leg and fling it away. She clenched her jaw against the pain and you reached out, immediately sealing the wound again. 

"I'm so sorry," you told her, feeling guilty for healing her without checking the injury first. Maybe if you had spotted the piece of the Mind Flayer that had latched onto her, then this wouldn't have happened. You could have prevented her further pain. 

She shook her head, grabbing your hand and squeezing it. "Not your fault." 

You heard a screeching noise and glanced up, having momentarily forgotten about the mini Mind Flayer creature. You felt relief overcome you at the sight of Hopper crushing the creature under his boot. "What the hell is going on here?" He asked, a scowl on his face as he tried to scrape off the creature's guts from his shoe. 

"Mom!" Will yelled, rushing forward to embrace Joyce. 

You sat back on your heels, watching Will and Jonathan reunite with their mom. El had already scrambled to her feet and rushed towards Hopper, throwing her arms around him. There was a man with Joyce and Hopper you didn't recognize, but Nancy seemed to since she was already talking to him. 

You glanced back to Hopper and El as you slowly got to your feet. El said something to Hopper and then he glanced up at you, a surprised look on his face as he seemed to finally notice that you were there. He unfolded an arm from around El and held it out. You crossed the space between you quickly, letting Hopper pull you into the hug. You wrapped your arms around Hopper and El, feeling like maybe everything would be okay now that Hopper was back. You felt like you were going to start crying from pure relief to know that Hopper was relatively safe and there with you and El. 

"What did you two get yourselves mixed up in?" Hopper asked when he finally let the two of you go. 

"It's a long story," you said, shaking your head. "Do we have the time?" There was a thought in the back of your mind that warned you to not forget about the threat bearing down on you all. 

Hopper glanced over to Joyce, meeting her worried eyes, before he nodded his head. "We have a little," he said, steering you and El over to join the rest of the group. 

As the story unfolded, you started to see how it all seemed to connect. All of you had been working to solve different parts of the same problem and you hoped that since you were all united, everything would be taken care of before anything catastrophic could happen. 

You listened to Hopper, Joyce, and Murray explain what they learned about closing the gate and the Russian's involvement. Steve with the help of Robin, Dustin, and Eria told them about the Russian base below Starcourt and the soldiers they encountered. Nancy and Mike explained about the Mind Flayer and the creature that was after El and everyone else. 

"The Mind Flayer has Billy," you told Hopper. "I have to get him back, Hop. I'll do anything." 

Hopper sat forward, meeting your eyes. "It might be too late for him," Hopper told you. "But if there's anything I know about that kid, it's that he'd want you safe. Don't do anything stupid trying to rescue him." 

You squinted at Hopper, biting your lip. "I can't promise that." 

Hopper looked like he wanted to argue, but you shook your head. 

"There's something else," you told him. You glanced around at the group to make sure you had their attention before you turned in the direction of the piece of the Mind Flayer that had embedded itself in El's leg. You weren't sure if this would work, since the creature seemed dead, but you had to make them understand. Your power seemed to painfully cancel out the current form of the Mind Flayer and if you could use that to your advantage, then you would. 

"Y/N, what the hell are you doing?" Steve asked, taking a step forward as if he was going to stop you. 

Hopper held a hand up and shook his head. "Just wait," he said, watching you. 

You crouched down and grabbed the creature. The effect was almost instantaneous. You felt the pain again, the burn that felt like it would eat you alive, but it wasn't as intense as when faced with the full form of the Mind Flayer. The creature in your hand wriggled, as if still alive, and then started to pulsate. Orange and red lines of color began spiderwebbing out from where you gripped the creature and you swore you smelled smoke coming from it. You watched as the longer you held it, the more the creature deteriorated until it started turning to ash in your hand. You clenched your jaw to keep from screaming, glad that the parade of the Mind Flayer's victims wasn't flashing across your mind this time, before you felt the remains of the creature crumble in your hand. 

You dropped what was left clutched in your hand, watching as pieces of ash floated down to the floor, before you looked up at the others. All of them looked equal parts stunned and confused, except for Max. 

"That's what you meant," she said. "You told me the Mind Flayer hurt you when you touched it, but that you hurt it too." 

You nodded your head. "If I can hang on longer, then I can do more damage," you surmised, not wanting to mention that you were sure holding onto the Mind Flayer for that long might be enough to kill you. "If it attacks us again, then I need to be there to confront it. Maybe I can kill it using my power." You didn't want to bring up that you were sure if you could just get anywhere near Billy to use your power on him, then you could burn the Mind Flayer's influence out of him. You just might be able to save Billy after all and you hoped that you got the opportunity to. 

"Yeah, but last time you touched that thing, it looked like it was about to kill you," Lucas pointed out. “You were screaming and completely out of it.” 

“Whoa, what?” Steve asked, looking at you. “Why the hell would you want to touch it again, then?” 

“She doesn’t want to,” Will spoke up. “But it might be our only option.” 

You nodded your head, not bothering to tell them that you would gladly die if it meant you took the Mind Flayer down with you. From the looks on everyone's faces, you knew you didn't need to say anything. They understood. 

Steve moved until he was standing next to you. He wrapped an arm around your shoulders and brought you into his side. "Please don't do anything stupid," he whispered, ducking his head until you met his eyes. "I've gone through a lot of crazy shit lately and I'm not going to lose one of my best friends on top of it." 

"No promises," you told Steve with a smirk, trying to look brave when you felt anything but in that moment. 

Steve rolled his eyes, but pulled you in closer to press a kiss to your temple. “I swear all of this worry is what’s going to kill me and not some kind of multidimensional monster.” 

“If we all do our jobs tonight, then you won’t have a reason to worry,” you promised Steve. 

Steve sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he swore he was trying to quit. “I really hope so,” he said. 

Plans were made for Hopper, Joyce, and Murray to infiltrate the Russian base beneath Starcourt and attempt to close the gate. Erica and Dustin had volunteered to help them navigate, which would require them to leave the mall to access a radio Dustin created. Steve and Robin were tasked with making sure Dustin and Erica made it safely to Weathertop. Everyone else was supposed to go to Murray's home, since it was supposedly secure enough to hopefully protect you all. 

You sat with Hopper and El while they talked, taking a moment to say goodbye before everyone went their separate ways again. 

"I should go with you," El told Hopper. "I can fight." 

“Better than anyone,” Hopper agreed with a nod of his head. “But I don’t want you to be in danger.” 

“But I can help,” El tried to argue. 

"No," Hopper immediately denied with a shake of his head. "I need you safe. That thing is after you more than anyone else. I need to know you're far away from it." 

El frowned, obviously not happy about being sidelined, but she nodded her head in understanding. 

Hopper glanced over at you. "Will you protect her?" 

"With my life," you immediately answered. 

Hopper slumped his shoulders a bit in relief. "Thanks, kid," he said, hooking an around your neck to pull you into a hug. "And watch out for yourself too. Don't try to be the hero. I need both of you to be safe." 

"Only if you promise to do the same," you told him, pulling away to look at him. "We need you too, Hopper." 

Hopper sighed and nodded his head. He pressed a kiss to El's temple before he stood. 

Murray sidled over to you before he was supposed to leave with Hopper and Joyce. 

"You know, they tell me you can heal. We could have used you tonight," he said, looking momentarily heartbroken as he glanced at you. 

"I was needed here," you told him nodding over at El. 

Murray hummed before he nodded his head. "Seems you were," he said, clapping a hand to your back. "Good luck up here," he told you before he walked over to join Hopper and Joyce. 

You watched them leave before you turned to see Steve and Robin beginning to herd Erica and Dustin towards the mall's entrance. 

"Steve!" You called, jogging over to him. 

He turned to you, his eyebrow raised in question. You practically collided with him in your haste to pull him into a hug. "Oof," he groaned, reaching up to return the embrace. 

"Take care of yourself out there," you told him. "And I'll see you on the other side?" You asked, hating that it felt like you were saying goodbye for good to not only Hopper, but Steve as well. 

"See you," Steve said with a nod of his head. He offered you a small smile before he turned and left with the others. 

You felt a hand on your shoulder and turned to see El standing behind you. "You could go with him," she offered. 

You shook your head. "No, I can't. I have to stay with you." 

El frowned, but didn't say anything else as the rest of the group went outside to get to Nancy's car. You all piled inside, you opting to stay in the back with El and Mike. You listened to Nancy try to start the car, but it stalled. 

"What?" She whispered before trying to start the car again. And again. And again. But the car didn't seem to want to turn on. Nancy and Jonathan moved to get out of the car. Jonathan popped the hood while the rest of you slowly climbed out of the car. 

You had a bad feeling as you stood near the hood and watched Jonathan and Nancy try to search for the problem. 

"It's the ignition cable," Jonathan finally concluded, pulling away to look at Nancy. "It's missing." 

"Well where did it go?" She asked, a frown on her face as she stared down at the car. 

It was then you noticed the headlights flashing from further into the parking lot. You heard an engine rev and when you glanced over, it was to see Billy's Camaro sitting there. You had no doubt about who was sitting in the driver's seat and you felt both relief that Billy was there and dread about what he had planned while under the influence of the Mind Flayer. 

"Shit," you heard Lucas hiss. 

"Everyone, get back inside," Nancy said, ushering the kids back towards the mall. "We can figure something out," she added. 

You stayed rooted in front of Nancy's car, silently watching Billy's car. 

"Y/N, come on," Max said, tugging at your shirt sleeve. 

You sighed and finally let her lead you away, glancing back over at Billy's car with every few steps. Back inside the mall, Mike tried to get in contact with Dustin on his radio while it was decided that the ignition cable from the car El had used to distract the guards earlier would have to be used to fix Nancy’s car. 

El had volunteered to get the cable out of the car. You watched as El held her hand out, a look of frustration on her face as more time passed and she wasn't able to pull out the ignition cable with her power. 

"What's wrong?" You asked her, half your thoughts still on Billy outside while you tried to keep your focus on the immediate danger you were all facing. 

"I can't," El said, her jaw clenched as she struggled to use her power. “I’m trying, but I can’t feel it.” 

You felt your brows furrow in concern. “The cable or your power?” 

“Both,” she answered, her head dipping as she poured more of her concentration into trying to pull on the cable with her power. 

You frowned and glanced down at her hand, as if expecting to see the cable. As if you thought El would lie about not being able to access her power. "What do you mean you can't feel it?" 

El shook her head in defeat, slowly lowering her arm, until she turned to face you. "Can you?" 

You watched El for a moment, worried about her. You weren't sure why she suddenly couldn't use her powers, but you hoped that they came back. You knew that your power was such an intrinsic part of yourself that you would feel lost without it. You weren't sure how El would cope with momentarily losing it. You didn’t even want to consider the fact that her powers could be gone for good. 

You held your hand out, attempting to use your power, when you heard El gasp. The ignition cable flew into your hand just as you glanced over, distracted, to see her focus was on the glass roof of Starcourt. You felt dread sweep through you, already knowing without having to look what she was seeing. Still, you tipped your head back and was met with the vision of the Mind Flayer waiting atop Starcourt. 

Mike grabbed El's hand. "Nancy, hide!" He called as he pulled El away to duck behind a column. You noticed Max move to hide with them and you were going to join them when you felt a hand wrap around your arm. The person holding onto you tugged you down behind the flipped car just as the glass from the ceiling rained down all around you. You held your arms over your head, wincing when you heard the roar of the Mind Flayer. 

You glanced to the side, wondering who had just saved you from being caught, to see Nancy crouched beside you. "Thanks," you mouthed at her, not wanting to make any noise that would pull the Mind Flayer’s attention towards you. 

She nodded her head, her focus going to the side mirror of the car. You noticed you could see some of the Mind Flayer's movements as it seemingly searched for any clue of where El was hiding. You felt like you were holding your breath the whole time you stayed there. A part of you wished you had more to do, but you knew that if you gave up your position, then it would put everyone else at risk. You felt like you had failed, though. You'd told Hopper you would protect El and now you were separated from her. 

You clenched your hands into fists when it seemed the Mind Flayer would catch El, Mike, and Max, but thankfully Lucas managed to distract the Mind Flayer by using his slingshot to pop balloons that were floating on the other side of the atrium. 

It allowed all of you the opportunity to make a run for it and while you wished you could see if El was okay, you knew that you would have to figure out another way to get to her. 

You rushed outside with the others, handing the cable over to Jonathan. You were grateful that in all of the chaos, you had managed to hold onto the one thing that would manage to save the others. They could flee and you would stay behind if El didn’t make it to the car in time. 

Jonathan popped the hood and started installing the cable. It was then you heard the engine of Billy's Camaro rev and the squeal of tires. You glanced up to see the car speeding towards you. 

"Hurry up, Jonathan," you urged, moving to stand between him and the car bearing down on the group. 

Lucas and Will were in the car, waiting to escape, but Nancy had grabbed the gun she'd managed to hold onto and aimed it at Billy's Camaro. You winced when she took a shot at the car and saw the bullet go through the windshield, the gas splintering and cracking. 

"Wait," you said, holding a hand out. "I can use my power to stop the car." 

Nancy glanced at you before she nodded her head. You were aware of Jonathan hastily climbing into the driver's seat and attempting to start the car, cursing when it didn't immediately turn on. You held a hand out, trying to tap into your power enough to stop the car that was threatening to kill you all, but you were panicking. You didn't want to hurt Billy, but your power was so unpredictable. You could flip the car or crush it, which would likely injure Billy, if not kill him. On the other hand, if you didn’t stop the car, then it would likely kill you and Nancy along with Jonathan, Lucas, and Will. 

You didn't have enough control over this part of your power to know if you could even attempt something like this and while your thoughts ran rampant in your head, not allowing you to concentrate, Nancy brought the gun up again and aimed it at the car when it seemed as if Billy would ram his vehicle into you. 

At the last second, you grabbed Nancy around the waist and ducked, pulling her down with you. You planned on putting yourself between the Camaro and Nancy in an attempt to protect her. You squeezed your eyes shut, expecting an incredible amount of pain. Instead, you heard a screech of metal and the squeal of tires before you finally glanced up to see Steve behind the wheel of the car that had rammed into Billy's to throw it off course. 

"Steve?" You called, standing and running over to check on your best friend. 

"I'm okay," he tried to assure you as he waved you off. 

"Good," you breathed, before your attention was caught by Billy. You felt like if you were going to take a shot at healing him, then now was your chance, so you rushed over to him as he was climbing from the Camaro. 

He snarled at you, but you didn't give him a chance to attack. You grabbed hold of his shoulders, ignoring his hiss of anger, and kissed him. You heard Steve calling your name, but you didn't care. You felt like you were on fire as you touched Billy, pressing closer to him until you felt like you would melt into him. You could feel your power working on him. There was so much darkness and decay but you reasoned that if you held on long enough, then you could pull him back from the brink. If your power had attempted to heal the people the Mind Flayer had melted into itself, then you had to believe that you could heal Billy. 

Billy thrashed against you before he brought his hands up and shoved you back. You sucked in a startled breath, noticing the black veins that were visible just beneath his skin. They seemed to pulse from black to green, as if the Mind Flayer was fighting to hold onto Billy. 

You heard a gasp from behind you and turned to see Mike and Max attempting to flee from the mall with El between them. They all turned wide eyes on you before you felt Billy attempt to brush you aside. You reached out to snag his arm, drawing on him with your healing power again in an attempt to burn the influence of the Mind Flayer out of him, but he pushed you away. 

You fell to the ground, scraping your elbows on the pavement. 

Steve ran up to you just as Billy took off after El, Mike, and Max. 

"We have to go," he told you. "It sees us," he said as he pointed towards the roof of Starcourt. The Mind Flayer was climbing down and you knew it was going to chase after the others. It was going to keep them away while Billy secured El. You wanted Steve far away from the mall and the monster before you, but you had no intention of going with them. 

Steve helped you off the ground and when you moved to follow after Billy, you felt Steve's arm wrap around your waist as he attempted to drag you back towards the car. 

"No!" You yelled before you twisted free of Steve's grasp and ran off in the direction Billy stalked away in. 

"Y/N! Come back!" 

"Dingus, we have to go!" You heard Robin call after Steve. You glanced over your shoulder to see Steve reluctantly climbing into the back of Nancy's car. You watched it speed off just as the Mind Flayer gave chase and you hoped they would be okay. 

You chased after Billy, knowing that if you could just have one more shot at him, then maybe you could fully heal him. If not, then you could pull him back from the point of no return. You were sure you had done some good when you kissed him and while the taste of him had been acrid and bitter, you knew there was a chance that you could still save him. 

"Billy!" You called, pursuing him. 

You saw him round a corner and you took it, not prepared for him to be lying in wait. He slammed you back into the wall. "Let it go," he growled. 

"You're not going to hurt me," you said, hoping it was true. You reached out to frame his face in your hands, pulling on him with your power. 

He shivered, his eyes falling closed as he swayed into you. "Y/N," he murmured. "Get the fuck out of here." 

"I can't," you told him, noticing that the veins along your arms were turning black the longer you touched Billy. He looked like he was slowly getting better. The color was coming back into his skin and he looked like he was no long on death's doorstep. "I have to save you." 

"You can't save me," he spat. When he opened his eyes, you could see the Mind Flayer had taken back control. He lifted you up against the wall and then dropped you down to the floor. You glanced up just in time to see Billy's boot coming towards your face and by then there was nothing you could do as it connected with your temple. You felt dazed for a few moments as you attempted to pull yourself back together. By the time you were able to stand back up, shaking off the pain, Billy was gone. 

You rushed through the labyrinth of hallways that snaked along the edges of the mall. You found Max and Mike both lying on the floor, both of them knocked out, and realized that Billy either had El or was likely about to find her. You briefly touched your fingers to their foreheads, hoping to help them wake up, before you took off again. 

You found Billy pulling a struggling El into the middle of the mall atrium. She was crying and pleading with him and when he dropped her to the floor, you knew this was it. Either you were about to win or you would lose spectacularly. 

You moved forward and flinched when you heard the Mind Flayer approach. The Mind Flayer roared as it dropped down into the atrium. The last time you faced the creature, you were so scared you could hardly think. But now you thought of everything it had done to you and your loved ones. It took Billy from you. It hurt El and likely drained her of her power. It had possessed Will the year before and left him terrified at the idea of being under its control again. It wanted to take and destroy everything in your life and you knew you couldn't let it. You weren't going to run. You were going to stand your ground and fight. 

You felt rage consume you. You suddenly understood everything Kali had been trying to tell you. Your healing came from a place of peace. But this? You needed to destroy and that was only going to be accomplished by the anger and fury threatening to overwhelm you. 

You watched as the Mind Flayer came for El. You moved forward with the intention of doing something to prevent it from getting her, when the first firework exploded just as it reached the Mind Flayer. You felt a grin stretch across your face when you glanced up to the second floor of the atrium and noticed Lucas standing there. He was already in the process of lighting another firework when another lit up the Mind Flayer's back. The others had returned to distract the creature from El and you felt so incredibly grateful for Lucas and his seemingly outrageous plan to use fireworks as a weapon against the Mind Flayer. 

You noticed Billy crouched over El as she spoke to him. Her palm was cupped over his cheek and there were tears in her eyes as she seemed to plead with him. You watched the soft, heartbroken expression form on Billy's face as he shook. Once El stopped speaking, he slowly pushed himself to his feet, but he didn't make a move towards El. You knew then that El had managed to finally break whatever hold the Mind Flayer had on Billy. 

You watched as Billy moved to intercept the Mind Flayer, placing himself between El and the monster. His hands came up in a bid to catch the arm coming for him, but you had no intention of letting the creature that had terrorized everyone the past two years get anywhere near Billy. You felt like there was a fire burning inside of you as you walked forward, your eyes trained on the Mind Flayer. It was like when you touched the Mind Flayer, but pure. It didn't feel bogged down by suffering, but like you were finally setting yourself free. You held onto the feeling as you caught the Mind Flayer's claws with your power just before they reached Billy. 

Billy was staring at the Mind Flayer with wide eyes. The claws at the end of its arm were grasping to reach Billy and El, but you weren't going to let it get that far. He turned to look at you where you had your arm outstretched, holding onto the monster with your mind. "Y/N," he muttered. "No." 

"Take El and get out of here," you told him, moving until you were between him and the Mind Flayer. You stared up at the monster and let the fire inside carry you. 

The Mind Flayer had tried to take one of the brightest parts of your life. Without Billy, you would never have grown into yourself. You would have hidden away for the rest of your life. He taught you to be fearless in the face of those that would seek to break you down. 

It had tried to take El from you. She was the girl that taught you that it was okay to keep fighting. To protect your loved ones at all costs, even if you were sacrificing yourself. She taught you it was okay to want a family and to move past what Brenner and Hawkins Lab had done to you. 

It wanted to take Hopper from you. The closest person you had to a father. He loved you unconditionally, as if you were his own daughter. He had given you a chance at a life. He never owed you anything and yet he gave you everything. 

It wanted to take everyone you held dear from you. The Byers family who had known way too much misery and horror from the Mind Flayer and its minions. Sweet Joyce who had only shown you kindness. Jonathan who had offered to let you borrow his camera and teach you how to develop photos when you showed an interest. Will who told you all about D&D with a light that you would hate to see extinguished. 

Nancy who had offered to help you with your resume when you were searching for a job. Mike who loved El so fiercely. Lucas and Dustin who had been there for your sister. Both of them had proved they were willing to do what it took to protect El. Max who was such a force to be reckoned with. You knew her relationship with Billy was still in the process of repairing itself. You knew that she was the best girl friend that El would have. Max, who had become like a little sister to you. And then there was Erica. The brave little girl who had helped with everything just as much as the adults. She claimed to have no phobias and you truly believed it after knowing her for just a couple of hours. 

There was Robin. You didn't know much about her, but you knew that she was pure and deserved to be happy. She teased Steve, but you could tell that it was out of fondness and not malice. She was so incredibly brilliant and had managed to crack the coded message that led to the discovery of the Russian's base. 

And then there was Steve Harrington, who was without a doubt your best friend. He had never once treated you like you were some kind of freak for growing up in Hawkins Lab. Steve, who you bonded with over milkshakes at Benny's and who had done nothing but try to make you feel welcome. Steve had only ever shown you friendship and you would be damned if you let the Mind Flayer hurt him or any of the people you had come to care about during your time in Hawkins. 

You weren't going to lose any of them. You were going to destroy the rest of the Mind Flayer on this side of the gate. It was only a piece and if the rest came through, then you knew that all hope would truly be lost. But you weren't going to let it take everything you had gained in such a short time and you would hold onto the belief that Hopper and Joyce would manage to close the gate for good this time. You would fight until you couldn't hold on any more and you hoped that would be enough. 

"Y/N, please. Don't do this," Billy begged. You shot out your other arm to hold onto another piece of the Mind Flayer that had come for you. You felt Billy's hand on your shoulder, as if he wanted to pull you away. You could feel the blood dripping down your face. You were straining to hold onto everything. This was by far more taxing than tossing a tennis ball around with your mind or managing to pull things towards you. This felt like it was going to break you. It felt right, though. This felt like what you had been working all of your life towards. This moment with the Mind Flayer. This moment where you stood between the monster and those you loved. This would make it all worth it. 

"Billy, you need to take El and go. I can do this," you managed to get out, not even sure if that was the truth. "Please," you pleaded with him as you turned to glance at him over your shoulder. "Do this for me." 

You watched a tear track down his face as he watched you. Finally, he nodded his head and moved to scoop El up into his arms. 

"Sister," you heard El say, her arm reaching out towards you. She looked heartbroken as she watched you confront the Mind Flayer and you knew that this was likely the last time you saw either one of them. 

You offered the both of them a smile. "I love you," you mouthed, knowing that they would both know you were talking to the both of them. 

You turned to give your full attention to the Mind Flayer. Nothing else could matter to you besides succeeding in taking it down. You didn't let the fireworks that were still being aimed at the Mind Flayer distract you. You didn't let El's cries for you pull your focus. You didn't think about the look in Billy's eyes when you turned away from him, like he was watching his world collapse in front of him. 

Instead, you let anger and love merge to fuel your strength against the monster before you. You wouldn't let it take your loved ones. You wouldn't let it take Hawkins. The fucked up little town that offered so much, but threatened to take it all away with its corruption. You weren't going to let it kill anyone else. The Mind Flayer had taken all kinds of people in its efforts to grow and while you would mourn those who lost themselves to the monster, you would make sure it wouldn't hurt anyone else. 

You had stopped two of its arms, but you couldn't stop the third one that snuck beneath your defenses. You felt the claws rip into your side. You knew it wanted you to let it go. You knew it wanted to reach out towards El and kill her, but you were in its way. You knew it wanted to kill Billy for defying it. You couldn't let it get past you. 

Another set of its claws ripped into your side and you screamed. You couldn't even heal yourself, because you were focusing on keeping as much of it at bay as you could. 

"Y/N!" You heard Billy yell. You loved him so much and all you wanted to do was turn towards him and see his face one last time. The Mind Flayer had taken him from you. It had possessed him and made him do its bidding. You let your love for Billy drive you forward, aware that exhaustion was fast approaching, but you weren't going to let yourself give into it. 

"No more," you growled, aware that you were losing a lot of blood. You grit your teeth and pushed with all your might, burning the arms of the Flayer that touched you. You watched as they turned to ash as they tore out of your sides. Another one came for you, but it began to burn up the second it touched your skin. You could barely feel the pain now and even though you knew it wasn’t a good sign, you used what was left of your energy to sever the two arms you were holding still with your power. 

You heard the Mind Flayer start screeching and it swayed to the side. You knew instinctively that it wasn't just you. You thought that Hopper and Joyce must have been closing the gate. The Flayer was getting cut off from its source. 

"You lost," you spat. A vicious grin formed on your face as you stared down the creature before you. You were bleeding from multiple wounds and a pain dizzying in its intensity was starting to creep back in so you could barely think. The Mind Flayer stumbled away from you and you finally dropped your arms to your sides, sure you would no longer need your power to hold it. You tried not to fall to the floor, your legs shaking as you watched the Mind Flayer shriek and thrash in its final moments. 

You barely had the energy to start healing yourself, but you could feel the wounds begin to close. You were breathing heavily as you watched the Mind Flayer finally collapse to the floor, its movements growing weaker as it seemed to lose power. 

You turned to look at Billy and El. Billy was standing in front of El, as if protecting her, and the rest of the party was at his back. You weren’t sure at what point they had joined Billy and El, but you were so grateful to see all of them. You grinned at them and weakly held up your arms, as if in victory. 

Billy took a step towards you, relief evident on his face. You only had a second to prepare, though. His eyes widened in horror and you heard El call your name in warning. 

You felt something pierce your back and when you looked down, you could see the ends of the Mind Flayer's claws sticking out of your chest. You should have known that if it was going down, then it would have sought to take you with it. You stumbled when it let go and you fell to the floor. You caught a glimpse of Billy running towards you before everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: The ending of this chapter, from when the reader gets between Billy and the Mind Flayer to the very end of the chapter, is the first part I ever wrote for this fic. I really wanted to fix everything, so I think I wrote that scene the day after season 3 of Stranger Things dropped. And obviously I had to tweak a few things and add a few things to make it canon compliant with this fic, but it's crazy to think I wrote almost 50k of fic just to get to that one scene. 😂
> 
> There's one chapter left to go! If everything goes well, I should be back on April 28th to post the last chapter. ❤


	11. And I'll Find a Way To Scare You Too

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end of Baby, You're a Haunted House. I'm posting a little early, so I hope y'all are cool with that.

You were sure that death was supposed to be peaceful. Wasn't that what they said? There were platitudes about someone dying peacefully in their sleep or that there was no more pain. You thought that was how it was supposed to go. 

First there was darkness. For a while, you knew nothing. It felt like you were floating along without a care in the world. You were truly alone. And then there was the fire. It was screaming all along your nerves. You felt like someone had taken a flame to you to see if you would light up. You thought of yourself as a candle, the flame catching on the wick and growing until it burned steadily. Death was meant to be painless and peaceful, so you concluded that you weren't dead. You weren't fully alive, but somehow stuck in some sort of in-between. In between life and death and peace and pandemonium. 

Being aware and not aware was chaos. There was pain and bright lights behind your closed eyelids and yelling voices. You couldn't figure out what anyone was saying, but there was a hand wrapped around yours and lips against your ear. It was the one voice that came in crystal clear. 

_"Come back to me, baby."_

Things went haywire for a while after that. More yelling and someone crying and flashing lights and the smell of smoke. Time meant nothing to you when you were like this, so you weren't sure what was going on outside of your own tiny Void that was only meant for you. You only knew that you weren't dead and you were not alone. 

When your eyes fluttered open, it took you a few moments to realize that you were actually awake. You weren’t drifting and you weren’t only partially aware of what was going on. Your eyes were focused on a ceiling and there was a steady beeping noise coming from somewhere off to your right. A hospital, you concluded from the clean, sterile smell. There was a head tucked into your shoulder and an arm wrapped around your waist. There was a hand in yours and someone's steady puffs of breath against your forearm. 

You felt sore as you became more aware of your body. You managed to crane your neck to see that it was El curled up with you on the bed and Steve who was sleeping with his head on the edge of the bed while clasping your hand in his. Your brow furrowed as you tried to connect the dots between your last real memory and waking up. 

Hopper's cabin getting destroyed. Healing El. Going to Starcourt. El's leg. Hopper and Steve leaving. Trying to leave the mall. Billy stopping you. The Mind Flayer. 

You felt your breath hitch and your fingers twitch at the thought of the monster. 

Trying to leave again. Billy almost crashing into you. Steve saving you. Billy going after El. Healing Billy. Billy breaking free of the Mind Flayer. Stepping between the monster and Billy and El. Saving Billy and El. 

You remembered seeing them before everything went dark. There had been a sharp, piercing pain in your chest before you'd collapsed. You remembered Billy running to you. Billy, you thought to yourself. Where the fuck was Billy? 

"Y/N?" You heard Steve groan. You glanced down to see Steve blinking groggily at you. He squinted up at you, his hair in his face, before his eyes went wide in realization. "Holy shit, you're awake!" He leaned forward in his chair at your bedside, a relieved grin on his face. Steve pointed a finger at you, a stern expression appearing on his face. "Don't you ever fucking do that to me again. You understand?" 

You rolled your eyes but nodded your head. Trade your life for the lives of everyone else? It was an easy choice and you'd make it again. But you didn't need to tell Steve that. He likely already knew what you were thinking. 

"What happened?" You managed to get out, even though your mouth was so dry you could hardly concentrate on anything but that for a moment. You coughed and winced when it pulled on your chest. 

"Here," Steve said as he grabbed a cup from the tray beside your bed. You were so relieved at the sight of water, but you could hardly manage to get your hand to cooperate enough to grab it. Steve held the cup closer to you and positioned the straw until you could wrap your mouth around it and finally drink something. He pulled it away after a few moments, ignoring your frown at him. "Not too much," he told you with a shake of his head. "You'll make yourself sick." 

You heard El grumble something before she picked her head up and looked at you. "Sister," she breathed, a smile slowly forming on her face. She sat up to place a kiss to your cheek before she scrambled off the bed. She was out the door of your room before you could even think to ask if she was okay. 

"Where is she going?" You croaked out, frowning after El. 

Steve sighed and pushed a hand through his hair, glancing down at you. "She's probably going to get the party. They've been camping out in the waiting room for the past couple of days and driving the staff crazy." 

"Days?" You asked, your brow furrowed. It had been _days_? "Where's Billy?" You finally managed to ask, knowing that if anything, he should have been there. 

Steve's face fell and you immediately imagined the worst. "Wait, no," Steve said, rushing to assure you. "Hargrove is fine. Kind of," he added with a wince. "After he freaked the fuck out and they managed to pry you from his hands, he started throwing up some kind of black slime. It was totally disgusting. And then he just collapsed. They had to rush both of you to the hospital. They say it's a miracle he's alive, by the way," he said, shooting you a knowing look. "Whatever the Mind Flayer did to him really did a number on his insides. But Max said they're saying he'll recover." 

Before you could demand that Steve take you to Billy, the door to your room opened. You glanced over to see El standing in the doorway with the party at her back. 

"Oh, come on," Steve groaned. "She just woke up." 

Max brushed past El to get to your side. "We were so fucking worried," she told you as she reached out to squeeze your shoulder. "You just fell to the floor and Billy was screaming." 

"Yeah, he went nuts," Lucas chimed in as he walked over to you. "It was kind of scary," Lucas admitted with a frown. 

El was standing near the door, talking softly to Mike. You noticed the bruises under her eyes and that she was still wearing the same outfit. You wondered why Hopper hadn’t taken her home to get some rest or change her clothes. 

Will crept forward, looking to Steve warily as if he thought he'd get mad at him for disturbing you. "Uh, I'm glad you're okay, Y/N. We all are," he added. 

“Thanks, Will,” you told him with a smile. 

El walked back over to the bed, nudging Max out of the way. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was then you noticed Joyce standing in the doorway. She smiled at Mike as she passed him and then shared a look with El. "Did you tell her?" She asked, biting her lip. 

El shook her head, her face falling. You noticed tears welling in El's eyes and felt alarmed at the thought that there was something you were missing. 

You glanced from Dustin to Lucas to Will to Mike and then to Max. They all looked solemn and like they were keeping something from you. You looked over to Steve, thinking that if there was something that needed to be said, then surely he would tell you. Steve was very carefully not looking in your direction, though. It was then that you knew. One glimpse of the devastation on El's and Joyce's faces confirmed it for you. If it wasn’t Billy, then there was only one other person it could be. 

"No," you whispered, feeling your breath hitch. 

"Maybe you guys should go," Joyce suggested as she walked closer to your bed. "Give us some privacy," she added as she glanced to Steve. 

Steve cleared his throat and nodded his head. "Alright, you little shits. Let's go get some snacks from the waiting room and get out of their way." 

Dustin raised an eyebrow at Steve. "Are you paying?" 

Steve rolled his eyes as he began to herd Dustin, Lucas, Mike, Max, and Will out of your room. 

When the door closed, El moved to climb up onto the bed with you. She pressed close to your side and tucked her head into your neck. 

Joyce moved to take the seat Steve vacated. She reached out to take your hand in hers. "I'm so sorry, sweetie." 

"What happened?" You managed to get out, your voice choked from the tears you were holding back. "We took care of the Mind Flayer, didn't we? It's dead. You two closed the gate. So what the hell happened?" 

"Hopper was stuck on the wrong side when the gate was closed. He saved us," she told you, a tear rolling down her cheek as she squeezed your hand. She cleared her throat and looked to El. "He loved both of you girls. I want you to know that." 

You couldn't hold back your tears then. Hopper was the father you'd always wanted. He took you in and treated you like you were his own kid. He gave you a home and a chance at a life. Without Hopper, you wouldn't have had half of the life you had in Hawkins. Hopper was your family and you couldn't even understand why he was gone. 

El wrapped her arms around your waist and you reached to pull her closer into your side. You pressed a kiss to the crown of El's head. "I'm so fucking sorry, El," you whispered. You knew that Hopper had saved El in more ways than one. He'd given her a home and family and a chance at a normal life. He'd been overprotective and terrified that someone would take her away, but he'd done his best for her. 

El swallowed, her throat working as she tried to speak. "I'm glad you didn't leave me too," she finally managed to get out. 

You felt like your chest was collapsing at her words. You knew you'd come close to dying, but you'd managed to heal yourself. There wasn't a giant hole in your chest from the Mind Flayer's claws and you couldn't find any other injuries. Your power must have kicked in at some point, but you knew it had come incredibly close to being the end of you too. 

You glanced over at Joyce and took a deep breath. "Thank you. For everything," you told her. 

She nodded her head. "Of course," she whispered. She patted you on the arm before she stood. "I'll give you two a moment alone. When you're up for it, Hopper's lawyer wants to speak with you," Joyce told you. 

You felt your brow furrow at that. Why would Hopper's lawyer want to talk to you? "Okay," you agreed with a nod of your head. "I'll see you soon?" 

"I'll be back," she promised before she left your room, carefully closing the door behind her. 

You held El as both of you stayed silent. You knew there wasn't much that could be said in that moment. Were you supposed to tell her that you wished it had been you and not Hopper that was gone? That you couldn't even imagine what this meant for her now? That you'd do whatever it took to be there for her? That she wasn't alone? You knew nothing could ever truly help in that moment, so you held her and let her cry into the sleeve of your hospital gown. 

You felt El's breaths even out and knew that she had fallen asleep. You stayed sitting up, your arm wrapped around her, and thought about Hopper. 

You wished, more than anything, that you had been there for him. It felt like life had unfairly made you choose between Billy and Hopper and you weren't even aware until it was too late. You didn't even realize that you were crying again until Steve slipped back into your room. 

"Hey," he called softly. "Do you need me to go?" 

You shook your head, watching as Steve walked further into the room. You noticed Mike standing behind him, nervously shifting on his feet. "Get in here, Wheeler," you said. 

Mike nodded his head and practically rushed to your bedside, looking down at El in concern. "Is she okay?" 

"Not really," you answered. "Is anyone after the shit we just went through?" You couldn't help but ask. You were sure everyone was traumatized and grieving in their own way. 

You sighed and pressed a kiss to El's temple. 

"There's something I need to do," you said, looking to Steve. "Help me up?" 

Steve tried to stare you down for a few moments, obviously not thrilled that you were trying to leave your hospital bed. You waited him out, not letting up. Finally, he blew out a frustrated breath and took your hand. You careful maneuvered out from under El and motioned for Mike to take your place. 

"We'll be back," you promised. "Don't leave her alone," you ordered Mike. 

He nodded his head, already curling up against El. You smiled at him in thanks before you asked Steve to lead you out of the room. There was only one thing on your mind as Steve helped you navigate the hospital hallways. He helped push along your IV stand as you did your best to make sure you weren't accidentally flashing anyone in your gown. From the way Steve was laughing behind you, you were sure you weren't entirely successful. 

"Can it, Harrington," you told him. You froze just outside of the hospital room Steve directed you to. "You'll come with me, right?" You couldn't help but ask. You were scared that fighting the Mind Flayer had drained you of your power like it had done to El. You weren't ready to face the possibility that you were going to have to live without it. 

"Hey, if you need me, then I'm there," Steve assured you as he reached out and put a hand on your shoulder. He nudged you towards the hospital room. "Now quit stalling." 

You pushed open the door and froze just inside the doorway. You hated the sight before you. Billy was lying motionless on a hospital bed. There was a machine by his bed counting out his heartbeats and you took solace in the steady beeping as you took a few steps closer to his side. You managed to close the distance between you and Billy, aware of Steve setting your IV stand just behind you and then retreating to the other side of the room. 

You stared down at Billy, reaching up to brush his hair out of his face. You took a deep breath and leaned forward to press your lips to Billy's. You closed your eyes, willing your power to work. It felt out of your reach, like you were grasping at air and wishing for something solid to magically materialize in your hold. "Come on," you whispered. "Don't do this to me," you said against his lips, your hands coming up to hold onto his shoulders. 

It hit you all at once. You forced yourself to stay still as you felt your power come back to you full force. You held onto Billy as you healed him, his breaths coming easier and his body relaxing into the bed. You could feel the remnants of the Mind Flayer’s decay vanishing from Billy’s body and you pressed closer to him, willing it to disappear completely. 

It took you a few moments to realize Billy was kissing you back, his hands slowly reaching up to wrap around your waist. 

You broke the kiss and tipped your head forward until your forehead was pressed to his. 

You watched Billy's eyes flutter open as you kept healing him. You weren't going to stop until you'd completely eradicated the damage the Mind Flayer had wrought on him and as he slowly came back to you, you felt like you could cry from relief. You wished that you could have been there for Hopper to bring him back from the brink of death, but you were grateful that you were getting the chance to save Billy. 

Billy's eyes blearily focused on you. "Are you an angel?" He whispered, squinting up at you. 

You let out a laugh that sounded suspiciously close to a sob. "I don't think so," you answered. 

Billy closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them again. "Harrington," he called. 

You glanced over to see Steve raise an eyebrow in question. "What, Hargrove?" 

"What the hell are you doing here? I didn't think you cared." 

Steve scoffed and shifted on his feet, glancing to the door like he was considering leaving. "I don't," he answered. "Much." 

"How touching," Billy said, flashing Steve a grin. 

"I asked him to be here," you told Billy, pulling back enough to stand up straight. Billy fumbled for your hand, grasping it tight in his once he could. "I was scared I wouldn't be able to heal you. I thought my power was gone. Like El's," you added. 

Billy squeezed his eyes shut. "Fuck. El," he breathed. "Is she okay? I really did a number on that kid. And Max. And Nancy's little brother." He grimaced and reached up to cup your face in his hands. "And you," he said, his expression full of remorse. "I'm so fucking sorry, baby." 

"Nothing to forgive on my end," you told him. "It wasn't you. I know you'd never hurt me." 

"But I did," Billy pointed out. 

"I'm just going to leave you two to have your moment," Steve spoke up. He cleared his throat and pointed towards the door. "I'll be out in the hallway if you need me, Y/N." 

Billy bit his lip before he groaned and rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Harrington. For stopping me," he said. "I'm not thrilled you totaled my car, but it's better than the alternative." 

Steve looked like he wasn't sure what to think or do when you glanced back at him. He blinked down at the floor before he finally nodded his head. "Yeah, sure. I'm glad you're not a pile of goo," he offered uncertainly before he pulled open the door and stepped out of the room. 

You couldn't help but laugh as you glanced back down at Billy. 

Billy raised an eyebrow at you, looking amused. "Harrington really has a way with words, doesn't he?" 

"Hey, that's my best friend you're talking about," you said. 

"Yeah, yeah," Billy replied with a roll of his eyes. He reached out and tugged you down to his side. "Come on, Y/N," he coaxed as he helped you climb onto the bed with him. You curled into his side, feeling his arm go around your shoulders. "You scared the fuck out of me, you know?" 

You nodded your head. "I'm sorry," you whispered. "I'd do it again, though. If I had to choose between me and you, then it's not even a choice. It's a given." 

Billy tightened his hold on you. "You were dead," he admitted. 

Your head shot up at that. "What?" No one had bothered to mention that. You thought of the way Steve had been reluctant to leave you and the way El had been there at your side when you woke up. You thought it was because you'd almost died and not because you'd really been dead. 

"The Mind Flayer practically put a hole right through your chest. You fell to the floor and I picked you up. You weren't healing. They tried to tell me you were dead, but I didn't want to believe them." He shook his head, a few tears falling down his cheeks. "You were just so _still_ and you weren't healing. I can't remember much after they took you from me, but all I could think was that it was my fault. If I had just stayed home that night and not stormed off after our fight, then it never would have gotten me. You would have been alive and I wouldn’t have hurt you." 

"Billy," you sighed, reaching up to wipe away the tears tracking down his face. "It wasn't your fault." 

He shook his head and you knew he didn't believe you. He clenched his jaw before he took a deep breath and glanced down at you. "I heard about Hopper," he told you. "I'm sorry, Y/N. I know how much he meant to you." 

You sniffled and pressed yourself closer to Billy. "I don't know what I'm going to do, Billy. About El or any of it." 

Billy started running his fingers up and down your back in an attempt to sooth you. "We'll figure it out, angel," he promised. 

You fell asleep at Billy's side and when you woke up, it was to the perplexed faces of two nurses and a doctor who couldn't explain the miraculous recovery Billy seemed to make. Once you were both awake and seemingly fine, it wasn't long before they allowed you to go home. 

Since Billy's Camaro was effectively totaled, Jonathan offered to give you and Billy a ride home. It was an awkward car ride to the home Hopper had given you. Nancy was sitting in the passenger seat and you, Billy, and El were in the back. Billy's arm was wrapped around your shoulders and you were holding onto El's hand. You weren't sure if you were ready to see Hopper's trailer after just losing him, but it was the only home you had. 

When Jonathan pulled the car into the driveway, you felt like the breath had been punched out of you. Billy squeezed you to his side for a moment before he got out of the car. "Thanks Byers," he said with a nod. "Nancy," he added, before he waved to the couple. 

"Come on, El," you whispered, nudging her to open her door. You watched her slowly climb out of the car before you slid across the seat. You gripped the door handle before looking at Jonathan and Nancy. "Thanks, you two." 

"Just call if you need anything," Jonathan told you. "I still have a few weeks left in Hawkins." 

"Thanks," you repeated before you climbed out of the car. You glanced to the wrecked car in the driveway and walked over to it. It turned out that Neil Hargrove had Billy’s car towed to your house and you weren't sure if it was because he didn't want any form of reminder of his son or if he thought he was being nice. You knew Billy still hoped to save the car, though. He'd told you once that before you came along, it was the only good thing in his life. 

You ran your fingers over the crumpled hood and wished you could simply heal it for Billy. You knew that having a project would probably go a long way in helping Billy recover after the Mind Flayer, though. Both of you had a lot you were going to have to face in the next few weeks and you knew that Billy would need the distraction. 

The next few weeks weren't easy on any of you. El was sleeping on the couch until you could find her a bed for the guest room. Most nights, Billy woke up screaming and pleading with the monster that now solely existed in his nightmares. If it wasn't Billy, then it was you or El. 

You slowly got to work on strengthening your power. The ability to move things with your mind seemed reluctant to come back to you, but you finally managed it during your third day back home. You didn't practice around El, since you didn't know if she would feel jealous or discouraged. You weren't sure why you were allowed to keep your powers when El had lost hers, but you started to wonder if you could help train El to get her power back. 

You approached El with the idea and when she agreed, you started trying to work her through the power. You took her through the same steps you used when you tried to teach yourself El's power and you attempted to reach the Void with her. You couldn't get there, but there were moments when it felt like the outside world was slipping away and you were plunging into an abyss. You knew with each day you were getting closer to reaching the Void and you hoped that you would be able to bring El back to it. You knew she missed her power, even if she regretted that when she needed it most, it had seemed to abandon her. 

By the time you'd been home for two weeks, Hopper's lawyer finally contacted you. 

He told you that there was something he had for you. You weren't sure what Hopper could have left for you, but when Steve drove you to the lawyer's office and you sat down in front of the man, the last thing you expected to be handed was a letter. 

"What's this?" You asked, frowning down at the envelope. It had your name scrawled across it in Hopper's writing and then underneath were the words that had you sucking in a startled breath. 

_In the event of my untimely death. _

You shook your head. "I don't understand," you muttered. Did Hopper know he was going to die? He must have suspected, you thought as you stared at the envelope. Your hands were shaking as you slowly turned it over, not sure if you could make yourself read it. 

"You're free to take that with you, Miss Hopper," the lawyer explained. "If you'd rather not open it here." 

You bit your lip and stood from the chair. "Thank you," you managed to tell the man before you left the office. 

You were quiet on the way back home. Steve kept shooting you concerned looks, but he didn't ask you what was wrong. 

"Thanks, Steve," you told him when he pulled up to your house. 

Billy was outside working on the Camaro and Steve whistled when he saw it. "I thought that car was a goner, but Hargrove's bringing it back to life." 

"You can ask him about it," you said, reaching to open the car door. "He probably won't bite your head off," you added before you climbed out of Steve's car. You waved to Steve and stopped by Billy long enough to press a quick kiss to his cheek. 

He shot you a brief smile before he bent back over the workings of the Camaro's engine, frowning down at it as he considered it. 

You knew El was at Mike's house, so you locked yourself inside the bedroom you shared with Billy and sat down on the bed. You weren't sure how long you held the envelope in your hands before you finally rolled your eyes and opened it. You pulled the letter out and unfolded it, not sure if you were ready to read Hopper's last words to you. After a deep breath, you finally forced your eyes to the page and read the letter's contents.

_Y/N, _

__

__

_If you're reading this, then I must not have made it. Whether by monster or something stupid, I must not be there. I hoped to grow old and grey (older and greyer, sure) so I can be there for you two, but this is Hawkins. If I've learned anything, it's that I can't assume I'll always be there for El or for you. I've seen quite a few people go to their grave early in the past couple of years because of the crazy shit that happens in this town and I can't rule that fate out for myself. _

_What can I really say, kid? I'm leaving it all to you. Of course I am. I know you'll take care of El. _

_If there's anyone I trust to watch out for El and understand her, it's you. You know what it was like for her growing up and you know what it's like for her now. You two share a connection and I think El needs you just as much as you need her. I wouldn't want my death to separate you, so I've officially claimed you as my family and left my lawyer with very clear instructions. He'll take care of everything. You'll just have to sign a few papers. _

_I didn't know it when El brought you with her, but I needed you both. I'd closed myself off for a long time and having you and El in my life opened me back up to possibilities I thought were long gone. You two made me happy. You two gave me a purpose. _

_Don't let El spend all her time with Mike and don't let her eat Eggos for every meal. Sit down and play a board game every once in a while in honor of me, okay? I'd like that. _

_I'm proud of you, kid. I'm proud of both of you. It can't be easy coming where you come from and trying to have a life, but you've done it. And for God's sake, if you end up marrying the Hargrove kid and I'm not there to see it, make sure he treats you right. I'll come back from the dead just to kick his ass. This is Hawkins. It could happen. _

_If this is the last you ever hear from me, then I want you to know that I love you. Tell El I love her too. I'm sorry I'm not there to tell you both that myself. _

_Take care, kid. See you on the other side. _

_\- Hopper_

You weren't even aware you were practically sobbing until you heard Billy calling your name. He was knocking insistently on the door and trying the handle. "Y/N? What's going on? Are you okay?"

You glanced up at the door, remembering that you'd locked it. You managed to use your power to unlock it, a surprised laugh escaping you when Billy stumbled inside the room, his eyes glancing around frantically as if he thought you were fighting another creature from the Upside Down. 

"He's really gone," you forced yourself to get out, looking back to the letter clutched in your hands. 

Billy sat beside you on the bed and reached out to slowly take the letter from you, giving you enough time to pull it away if you wanted. You heard him let out a startled breath as he read the words. "Oh," he breathed. "I'm so sorry, angel." He pressed a kiss to your temple as his arm wrapped around your waist. "So fucking sorry." 

Whether you wanted it to or not, life moved on. 

It was a sunny August afternoon when the Byers family left Hawkins. You watched the party say goodbye to Will and Nancy say goodbye to Jonathan. 

When you noticed Joyce watching her kids from the porch, you moved to join her. "Thank you for everything you did, Joyce," you told her. "For El and me. For Hopper," you added. "Are you sure you have to go?" 

Joyce nodded her head. "Yeah," she said, her voice soft and sad. "Hawkins hasn't been so kind to us lately and I think finding something new is just what we need." 

"Well, there's always going to be a place for you in Hawkins," you told her, reaching out to pull her into a hug. "Don't forget that." 

"We won't," Joyce assured you. 

After saying goodbye to the Byers family, you couldn't help but feel like Hawkins felt emptier. Joyce had given El a speech Hopper had written when he was trying to talk to her about her relationship with Mike. You remembered the morning he'd come over to your house and asked you to help him break up Mike and El. It seemed like it had been years since that moment instead of a couple of months. 

El shared the speech with you since you'd shared Hopper's letter with her. You'd spent the afternoon curled up together on the couch in the living room and reminiscing about Hopper. Billy had made sure to stay out in the yard, still working on the car he swore would work again one day. 

With the mall gone, you managed to find a job in the Hawkins Public Library much to the delight of Dustin. He constantly tried to get you to let him check out more books than his card limit allowed. Sometimes, when you could get away with it, you let him check out a couple of extra books, even though you usually got in trouble for it. 

Mike and El managed to rekindle their relationship in the aftermath of that fateful day when everyone faced off against the Mind Flayer. Lucas and Max seemed to also be going stronger than ever. You knew that Dustin usually felt like the odd man out with Will gone and his girlfriend in a different state, but he told you that he was happy for his friends. 

You still went for your Saturday night milkshakes with Steve. Billy didn't seem to mind as much, even though he sometimes went along and purposefully annoyed the hell out of Steve. Other times, Robin would join the two of you and there were the times when the remains of the party took up the booth behind yours and threw French fries at you and Steve. Steve always called them dipshits for the stunt, but you knew he never truly minded it. 

Billy proposed to you on a quiet Sunday morning at the end of August. El had spent the previous night at Max's house and you were enjoying a morning in bed with Billy. You were curled into his side, your head resting on his shoulder, when he suddenly twisted away from you. You thought for a moment that he was going to be sick, but he rolled back over to you after a few seconds. 

He was holding something out to you and when you glanced down, it was to see the ring Billy had been considering in the memory you witnessed in the Void. 

"Billy," you breathed, your heart picking up speed in your chest. "Are you--?" 

"Y/N," he started as he reached out to grab your left hand. "You are the only person I ever want by my side when shit hits the fan. You've saved me in so many fucking ways and I don't want to even think about another day without you. Will you marry me?" 

You felt your breath hitch as you quickly nodded your head. "You don't even have to ask." 

"Well, I do. That's the whole point," Billy pointed out with a smirk as he slid the ring onto your finger. It was a little loose, but you didn't even care. It was beautiful and Billy was perfect. You leaned forward to kiss him, letting him press you down into the sheets. "How about we celebrate the good news?" He asked with a wide grin and waggle of his eyebrows. 

You pulled him down for a kiss and lost yourself in Billy for the rest of the morning. 

Later, after you'd shared the news with the party and Steve, Dustin asked who was going to walk you down the aisle. You knew Billy would have a fit over it, but you glanced to Steve in answer. 

"Would you do me the honor, Harrington?" You knew if Hopper were still there, then you would have asked him. If you couldn’t have your dad, then you couldn’t think of anyone better suited for the role than your best friend. When Steve looked like he wasn't sure what to say, you rolled your eyes. "It's either that or be my maid of honor. You pick." 

"I'll walk you," Steve readily agreed. "Of course I will," he told you before he pulled you into a hug. 

You listened to El and Dustin bicker over who would get to be your maid of honor even though El wasn’t quite sure what a maid of honor was or did. You laughed at their antics, feeling lighter for the first time since fighting the Mind Flayer. 

“Well, hold on,” Lucas interrupted. “Why couldn’t Max be the maid of honor?” 

Max rolled her eyes and elbowed Lucas in the side. “I’m obviously going to be Billy’s best man,” she said as she shot you a wink. 

You felt yourself smile at her, grateful that Max was even considering it. Max was really the only family Billy had. He didn’t bother with the friends he’d made in high school and there was no way he would ever invite his father to the wedding. Billy had spent the past summer trying to make things up to Max. He talked to her on the phone every Sunday night and you knew that they were on the right track to repairing their relationship. To know that Max wanted to be involved in the wedding, even if she was kidding about being Billy’s best man, gave you hope for the two of them. 

As you listened to the party argue over details concerning your upcoming wedding, you couldn't help but think that life had twisted and turned and spat you out over and over again, but you still had a family. You knew what it was like to be loved and to love in turn. Your future stretched before you and while you missed Hopper and the Byers family so much you ached at just the thought of them, you knew that there was still so much to live for right there with you in Hawkins. 

By the time September rolled in, you weren't any closer to getting El's power back, but you did start to successfully pull yourself into the Void. 

One Saturday morning when El was at Mike's house and Billy was out applying for jobs, you were sitting on the floor of the living room. You had a strip of cloth wrapped around your head and covering your eyes. You had the radio playing the familiar tune of static and you took one deep breath after the other to steady yourself. 

You managed to slip into the Void. You didn't have a direction in mind, but you liked to explore. You found it fun to push yourself as far and fast as you could. Sometimes it left you dizzy and breathless and you knew that Billy didn't really approve. You knew he worried about you far too much and there were some days he seemed reluctant to leave your side. You wanted to know what was out there, though. You wanted to know if there was more than you, Kali, and El. You wanted to know if there were other survivors of Hawkins Lab. 

This time, you weren't sure who you were watching. Their back was to you and he seemed to be working on something. You took a few steps closer, wondering why the Void had taken you here. You watched as the man wiped at his brow with the sleeve of his coat and then turned in your direction, allowing you to finally see his face. 

You felt your eyes fly open behind the blindfold as the man's name fell from your mouth. 

"Hopper."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I had about five different endings in mind for this fic. A. The Reader ends up in the Russian cell with Hopper after being 'killed' by the Mind Flayer. B. The Reader ends up in the Upside Down with Hopper after being 'killed' by the Mind Flayer. C. The Reader ends up alone in the Russian cell. D. The Reader ends up in the Upside Down alone. And the last one was the ending I gave with this fic. I feel like it's the least painful? I also love that I planned on saving Hopper before the writers let us know about his fate. If I saved Billy, then I had every intention of saving Hopper.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has given this a chance. I really struggled at points, because it really felt like no one cared about this fic. I felt like I was writing it just for me for about half the time I was updating it. So, thank you to everyone who comments and gives kudos and bookmarks this fic. You really kept me going and I hope to be back with a sequel when season 4 of Stranger Things drops.
> 
> In the meantime, I will be working on other Stranger Things fics. My next idea is a oneshot, but it's Steve/Reader. And then I have an idea that would be Billy/Reader and/or Steve/Reader depending on how it unfolds. So, if you're interested in those, then feel free to follow me on here or Tumblr. You can find me [here](https://imagine-you-are.tumblr.com/). ♥ Please be safe and take care of yourselves.


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